Control
by EvilGu
Summary: GWEVIN (Rated M for later chapters) Gwen has a problem. She's begun to have visions of strange things... sometimes horrible things. Are these visions of the future? Warnings? Or a look into another possible lifetime? On top of everything else, she has an annoyingly undefined relationship with Kevin... Can she handle the crazy visions, teenage hormones, AND fighting aliens?
1. Chapter 1

Takes place somewhere in Alien Force. Maybe. Or later. Don't worry about the details so much. .

**A/N: This is my first Ben 10 fanfic! Yay! This is also my first fic in a looong time. Well, that's not true... I have many on my computer, but I just never upload them. I lose interest, and the last thing I want to do is waste your time by having you read a fic that won't get finished (again). This fic, however, is already 100% done at this point!**

**That's right, it's ****finished****! I will be releasing one chapter every day, starting with a nice three chapter upload. Let me know how you like the beginning! Thanks!**

***Gwevin, with some yummy M-rated stuff in later chapters. My greatest hope is that I kept everyone in character, so please let me know if I have succeeded. Thanks!**

Chapter One: Freeze-up

Nothing seemed too unusual about that day. Just another alien, destroying public property and making a nuisance of itself.

The creature was large and typically alien; shaped like a lizard but plated with an armor-like exoskeleton. It's long, whip-like tail could move fast, knocking away anyone and anything in it's path. Strong, fast, and scary. Totally not an unusual battle for the trio.

What really seemed fishy to Gwen, however, was the fact that this creature was seemingly attacking the abandoned construction site for no reason. It wasn't a sentient being- it's Mana didn't feel right for that- but it certainly wasn't indigenous to Earth, either. It didn't appear to be looking for anything... it was just... breaking stuff.

Why? How had it gotten here?

Ben was attempting to freeze the creature now, his Big Chill transformation complete and flying overhead. Kevin was attacking without thought- just running up and slamming his fists into the thing with gusto. Sure, it was obviously hurting the creature... but it wasn't enough to get the job done.

And every time Kevin swung at the alien, it would attack back with that whip-tail, snapping at Kevin and sending him flying backwards with a crash.

So far, no one was seriously hurt... but they shouldn't really drag this battle out. The creature wasn't that tough, but it had some serious staying-power to be able to shake off Kevin's iron-powered attacks so easily.

Gwen fired up her Mana, her hands glowing pink with her power. She raised her fists, aiming carefully between the plates of bone and throwing orbs at the creature as fast as she could manage.

It didn't even blink. Er, that is, if it had eyelids. She wasn't too sure on that point.

Her powers just bounced off it, useless.

"Impossible..." She muttered, eyes growing wide. Meaning to end the fight quickly, she had put her all into that attack. To be able to just _ignore_ it... maybe this wasn't a normal, run-of-the-mill monster? Maybe she had underestimated the alien's abilities?

Schwoosh!

Ben let out a wide arc of freezing air through his mouth, encasing one side of the creature completely.

Kevin ran at it, his fist connecting with a satisfying "Crack!" against the ice, and the creature roared with pain.

The boys were gaining some ground, making the creature lose mobility, and Gwen knew that even without her the battle would be over with soon...

And then... Gwen's whole world flashed a bright, blinding pink.

…

It occurred to Kevin, after smacking the thing a few times, that something was missing. Or rather, someone.

Gwen never just sat a battle out, but sure enough when the dark-haired boy looked up he could see her standing just a little ways away from the fight. Just... standing there. She wasn't looking at the creature at all in fact, but just staring straight at _him._

In any other situation, Kevin might have chosen to take that as a compliment. Having the pretty girl he liked stare at him could be very nice- really- but this was _so_ not the time. Was there something on his face? Like, other than the thin iron coating that was average for his battle-wear?

As Ben and he pushed the creature back more and more, it was drawing closer to the thin, misleadingly fragile-looking girl, and Kevin found himself getting a little worried. Why wasn't she fighting? Or, at the very least, why wasn't she putting up her shields!?

Ben, now turned into Humungousaur, smashed into the creature, sending it back a few more paces. Their eventual goal was to make the thing fall over- hopefully knock it out- until they could figure out what to do with it.

Gwen still stood in one spot, her eyes wide and glassy.

Suddenly, in an unusual flash of foresight, Kevin saw what was about to go down and took action.

Neither of them had counted on Gwen being in the same place for so long. Gwen should be moving with them, attacking with them. She should be part of their team rather than just standing at the sidelines. So when the creature was only a few yards away from Gwen Kevin knew something bad was about to happen. He ran, quick as he could, towards the girl.

As he drew nearer, he took in her shell-shocked expression. Her eyes remained on him, and they were wide with something akin to fear. Before Kevin could ponder this any further, however, the creature eyed her, roared, and took a few steps to the side. It was aiming for a good smack with its tail, ready to take out it's anger on any tiny humans in its path. This wasn't enough to hurt armored-Kevin or alien-Ben, but an unprotected Gwen... It could break her in half.

Kevin could tell he wasn't going to make it in time. He called out to her, his voice belying a hint of desperation, and suddenly something seemed to snap in place behind her eyes. She shook her head hard, as if trying to dislodge something inside it. With a quickness born of her Karate studies, she flung up her shields, only barely blocking the monster's tail a split-second before it would have removed her head. It smacked into her pink wall, sending hair-line cracks through the Mana-shield.

The monster pulled back, intending to hit the shield again, but Ben was too fast for it. The hero plowed into the creature, finally sending it flying into an unfinished wall of concrete at the base of a skeletal building. Debris went flying, bits of stone hurtling through the air along with a thick cloud of dust.

With one arm movement, Gwen flung her shields back up, this time in front of all three of them. She was breathing hard, her eyes still manically wide.

Something was definitely wrong.

The dust-like debris, of course, fell harmlessly around them. There had been no real danger there, no reason for the shields. None-the-less, she kept them up.

And kept them up.

"Gwen!" Kevin yelled for the second time that night. The creature was stirring, moving among the fallen bits of broken wall. It was limping- some damage had certainly been done. This was the perfect time for them to try and capture it.

She didn't respond. She kept her shields up.

Ben turned to his cousin. Even his huge form was blocked, and he knocked on the shield as if it were a door. "Um, Gwen? Gonna let me go finish taking down this creature, or what?" he grumbled in humungousaur's gravelly deep voice.

She was clearly not listening, her arms still out to keep the wall up. She looked like she was concentrating, putting her full force into it, breathing hard. Her eyes were locked on the creature, wide and oddly wet.

Meanwhile the alien, finally managing to stand up, let out one last roar of defiance and then... vanished. No poof of smoke, no giant round screaming inter-dimensional vortex ripping through the fabric of space and time... just... gone.

Gwen dropped her arms, allowing her shield to blink out of existence.

Ben let out a rumbling cry of frustration and smacked at the symbol on his chest, dropping his alien-form in a flash. "What _was_ that!? Gwen!?" he yelled from several feet away, and Kevin wanted to repeat the sentiment.

_She let the creature get away._

Kevin looked down at her, intending to chew her out for her strange behavior, but found the words caught in his throat. She wasn't focused, her eyes glazed over, and she was still breathing rapidly, like she was hyperventilating. Her hands glowed pink, as if she were ready to be attacked again at any moment.

"Gwen?" he asked again, this time in a more gentle tone. He reached out, his eyebrows drawn in concern, and touched her shoulder.

She blinked. The pink Mana bubbles around her fists dropped, and so did she.

Her knee's hit the ground hard, and she looked up at Kevin with a drop-jawed gaze of amazement, her voice shaking. "You're ok..." She whispered.

"Er, yeah... but are you?" He asked, dropping down to one knee so he could meet her eye-level.

"Is she alright?" Ben asked, coming to stand beside them. His own face mirrored Kevin's: worried, bewildered, and then back to worried.

"I don't know- should we take her to a hospital or something?" Kevin asked.

"No- I'm fine." She said, gulping audibly. "I'm fine. It's ok. Everything's ok, and now that everything's ok, I'm fine."

...Now Kevin was _extremely_ concerned.

"Maybe she hit her head?" Ben wondered, crouching down to join the two of them. "We learned about concussions in my CPR class at school..."

"I do not have a concussion. I just... I need to lie down."

"If you have a concussion you shouldn't sleep. I think. I'm not really an expert- I got a C in the class." Ben said sheepishly, shrugging.

"Seriously, Ben, no concussion here. I didn't hit my head- in fact, I wasn't hit with anything the whole battle."

"Then what happened!?" Kevin asked, fighting to control his temper. He was worried, anxious, and not getting straight answers. This was not an environment he thrived in, and could feel himself growing annoyed.

She paused, her mouth moving as if looking for the right words. "I just... froze. It happens to everyone sometimes, right?" She said, mustering up a very fake smile.

"Right..." Ben said, meeting Kevin's eyes. Both boys were thinking the same thing: No way. Gwen didn't freeze up. Gwen never just... blanks like that.

"You know, you should really just tell us the truth. I thought lying was a big no-no in this little club we have." Kevin said, his voice coming out just a little harsher than he intended.

He immediately wished he had kept his mouth shut. Her reaction was instantaneous and confusing. Gwen's face seemed to suddenly crumple, her careful mask dissolving at his words. Her eyes looked... crinkly and wet.

And all at once, she latched onto Kevin, hugging his middle and burying her face against his chest as they sat on the ground. He was still metal, so he was sure that wasn't the most comfortable move on Gwen's part.

"Are you... _crying_!?" Kevin asked in disbelief. He put one arm hesitantly around her body, and with the other pointed down at her. "Is she crying!?" he asked Ben, who looked just as shocked as he was. Gwen didn't cry. Gwen wasn't some over-emotional, freeze-up-in-battle, break-down-and-cry sorta girl. She was strong. She was the one with the level head, always able to stay cool and think logically.

And now she was holding tight to Kevin, her body shaking in sobbing convulsions.

"Hey..." Kevin struggled for words, kinda starting to feel embarrassed at the way she was pressed so tight against him in front of Ben. "You're gonna make me start to rust, you know," he said jokingly, and Gwen nodded against his chest.

"Sorry." She choked, but made no move to draw back. "You should just turn back to normal if that's such a problem, though."

"Ah..." he muttered. Did she just cleverly imply that she wasn't letting go? Yep. That's what Kevin thought he heard.

"Er, we should get back home. At the very least, you should rest, Gwen." Ben said, clearly starting to grow uncomfortable. "I think I'll wait in the car until you're... er... done." He looked to Kevin and mouthed silently, "Hurry up and get her in the car," before retreating quickly.

Kevin, deciding to take Gwen's advice, dropped his metal casing, his body growing soft and human again. This just seemed to allow Gwen to press herself closer, her slim body warm though the thin fabric of their clothing.

He gulped, attempting to stand. He pulled her up with him, since she was clearly not letting go.

"So, are you going to explain what's going on?" He tried again. He looked over towards the car, across the crumbling construction site, and saw Ben had almost reached it.

Gwen shook her head. She drew back only slightly, putting a few centimeters of distance between them. Her face was pink, and she carefully avoided his eyes. "Sorry. I don't know what came over me..."

She actually had stopped crying, as far as he could tell. Her eyes were still wet, but she was pulling back at her emotional outburst, fighting her traitorous eyes. Kevin was instantly relieved at this. She was clearly distraught, but seeing her tear-stained face had been just too much- Kevin was glad she had pulled herself together and he didn't have to deal with that, since he had no idea what to say when someone (especially a girl) cries.

"This might sound crazy..." Gwen said, and Kevin snorted. She smiled up at him genuinely, shaking her head, "Point taken- everything we do sounds crazy. But this was different..." She looked over at the car, her eyes glazed with memory. "I could have sworn I saw... well, the world went pink for a second, like it was completely over-flowing with Mana. And then, in what later was clearly only a few seconds, I saw something... something horrible. I saw something that lasted twenty, maybe thirty minutes."

Kevin's eyes narrowed, trying to grasp the meaning behind her strange words and failing miserably. "You... saw? What, like a vision of some kind?"

"Maybe..." She muttered, unsure. She stepped back, giving him some space. He suddenly found himself disappointed, missing her warmth. "But it felt so _real_. It was happening, and then suddenly I was back to the beginning, and it wasn't."

"Gwen? I'm sorry, but you're not making any sense. What was happening? And what do you mean about the thirty minutes? Thirty minutes went by in a few seconds? I don't-"

She cut off his voice with her finger, pressing it to his lips. Shaking her head, she continued. "I don't want to talk about it anymore. Please don't ask me anything else... I want to pretend it never happened, and most importantly I don't want Ben to know."

"What? Why?"

"I just don't, ok? I'm fine now- just drop it."

She walked ahead purposefully after that pronouncement, heading for the car. After a moment, with a confused shake of his head, Kevin followed.

**A/N: For those who read my HP stuff and are wondering what the hell happened to me... um... my cat had a urinary tract infection and peed blood all over my old laptop. Yeah…. I couldn't bring myself to rewrite all I had on it, so I'm going to have to call those fics "abandoned until further notice." Er, sorry. I suck.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Roles

"We need to find where it went." Ben said, stating the obvious as the three of them sat at their favorite hangout- the smoothie shop.

"Maybe it had some sort of light-bending shield, something to make it invisible." Kevin tried, making a face as he drew some smoothie up his straw. He didn't find the yellow drink any more delicious than the green one he had tried last time. He was quickly coming to the conclusion that all smoothies at this place sucked.

"No, if it had just turned invisible it would have moved stuff when it ran away. It was huge, afterall... unless it could turn incorporeal? Like Big Chill?"

"Maybe..." Kevin answered. As if guided by some secret signal, both boys looked simultaneously to Gwen.

She sipped her smoothie thoughtfully, her eyebrows drawn together in concentration.

"Gwen?" Ben asked carefully and slowly, as if he were speaking to a sick person. "What do you think?"

"Huh?" She jerked, nearly dropping her drink. "Oh, um... the creature, right? I don't know... after the battle, I didn't feel any Mana trail, remember? It couldn't have still existed in our world without leaving some sort of trail."

"Then it must have escaped through a kind of vortex." Ben added.

Kevin shook his head. "It's not possible. Vortex's are always windy, loud, and very, very disruptive. Trust me- we would have seen it."

"Maybe it's tech you don't know about, Kevin. Maybe someone created a dimensional portal that's more like a... rip..."

All three of them froze, and all at once they said some variant of the same thing:

"Mana!"

"It was Mana!"

"Maybe an Energy-Being?"

Gwen gulped down more smoothie thoughtfully. "When I opened the Null Void to get back Ben, I used Mana. It was quiet, and looked like just a small tear. It was hard work, but if someone more experienced and more powerful tried it, they could theoretically make a hole big enough for that creature."

"It still felt very quick for that..." Kevin said, rubbing his chin. "If it was Mana opening the Null Void, then it was done by someone extremely powerful. They didn't just have to make the tear big- it had to be fast. Who's powerful enough to manipulate Mana like that?

Ben sighed, heavily. "Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?"

Kevin groaned. "Probably."

Gwen pursed her lips, annoyed. "It's gotta be Grandma."

…

"But what do our parents do when they want to contact her?" Ben asked later. They were all in Kevin's garage, talking as the larger boy worked soundlessly under his green Dodge.

"They don't- trust me, this has made my mother's life much easier. Can you imagine us inviting grandma over for thanksgiving dinner? My mother would have had an aneurism by now if Grandma was a frequent caller."

Kevin's snicker echoed from under the car.

"Besides... if she's here, doing all this, then she'll make herself known eventually. She had a reason for it."

Kevin was sure he heard Gwen's voice crack- just barely- over the words "doing all this." He realized, finally, that if her grandma was responsible for the monster than she was probably also responsibly for whatever strange thing had happened to Gwen.

His hand slipped and he dropped his wrench, suddenly very angry.

Hearing the clang of metal on concrete, Gwen dropped down and peered under the car. "Ok down there?" She asked, her auburn hair falling in her face as she cocked her head to the side.

"Lovely." Kevin answered with a growl, grabbing at the fallen tool and continuing his work. She frowned, then stood back up.

Her own grandmother was sabotaging her like that!? She could have been killed, frozen up in that fight! Whatever had happened to her, it had been traumatic enough to make her forget about her own safety. This was something Kevin just couldn't forgive.

The old bat had a good reason to want Gwen dead- or rather, to destroy her body. Kevin wasn't sure he understood the difference, but either way it pissed him off. Even if it was her own grandma, Kevin wouldn't hesitate to smash whoever was out to hurt Gwen.

He grit his teeth, continuing his routine car-maintenance. Truthfully, he'd done just about all he could underneath like this... but he didn't want to go out and have Gwen see how angry he was. She was much too calm about all of this, and he wondered how much she was keeping inside. Having your own grandparent inflict some kind of horrific vision-torture on you had to hurt, but she was back to her usual level-headed self. Or at least, she was pretending to be.

"Well, call me if you get any more information." Ben called. Judging by the fading quality of his voice, Kevin assumed he was walking away. "I have homework- I'll see you guys tomorrow."

After the boy left, the garage grew oddly silent. Kevin wheeled himself out from under the car, almost wondering if Gwen had left too.

She hadn't. She was sitting on top of his tool counter, her knee's drawn up. She was hugging them, looking tired.

"Do you need a ride home?" Kevin asked. The walk home wasn't very far, but her eyes were drooping, exhausted.

"No... I just haven't been getting much sleep lately. I'll be fine; I can walk."

Kevin nodded, cleaning off his hands with an old rag. He gazed at her critically, taking in her vulnerable posture. The moment Ben left, she had dropped her mask. She was still hurting, and Kevin was frustrated that he still didn't know _why_.

It would be tactless to ask her again- he knew this. Tactless and dumb and...

"Will you just tell me what's wrong!?" he said in a voice just a little louder than he intended, throwing down the stupid rag.

She blinked at him, shocked. "What? Kevin..."

"No. This is stupid. You're moping about-"

"I am not '_moping_!'" She yelled, affronted.

"- obviously unhappy, you won't talk to me about it, you won't talk to Ben about it-"

"Because I told you I didn't want to talk about it!"

"- and it's possible your own grandmother is doing this, but since you're not telling us the whole story we can't possibly guess _why_! How can we do anything to help if you... Won't. Tell. Us." He enunciated the last three words carefully, his voice laced with anger. He felt so helpless, unable to do anything for her. And being helpless just made him mad.

Gwen's eye's narrowed. "Does it really matter why she's doing it? _If_ she's doing this. Let's just keep things simple- the bad guys attack, we beat them. The end."

"Gwen!" Kevin yelled, annoyed. This complete lack of logic was so unlike her... what would she risk to keep her secret? "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" It was also very much like something he himself would say. Since when did the two reverse their roles? Now Kevin was the one who wanted to analyze exactly what was going on, and Gwen was the one who just wanted to smash stuff and be done with it? Kevin shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to calm down.

His eyes were closed, so he didn't see Gwen's expression as she sighed in resignation. "You're right. When did you get to be so smart?"

He blinked. Obviously, it had occurred to her as well how odd their role-reversal was. The words, "you're right," were enough to calm him down, too.

The two stared in silence, studying each other.

"Well?" Kevin asked, trying to keep his tone even and calm.

Gwen looked around the garage, carefully keeping her eyes off him. "Can we... talk about this somewhere else. I still don't want anyone to overhear it- especially Ben. I don't want you to hear it either, but I suppose it was silly of me to think I could just avoid the obvious." She sighed. "I need to tell someone, anyways, or I might explode."

Kevin walked up to her. With her sitting on the counter, she was actually a couple inches taller than him, and she looked down into his eyes. He reached forward, touching her hand gently. "Ok. Come on." He tugged at her, and she hopped down off the counter and kept pace behind him. Neither let go of each other's hand, and Kevin felt a secret thrill in the contact.

He was so gone.

The slightest touch from her, the briefest embrace, was enough to make him turn to jelly inside. It was ridiculous, the power just hearing her voice had on him. When she had hugged him before, after the battle... it wasn't romantic. Not in the slightest. Yet Kevin couldn't help but remember her warmth and her tight, clutching embrace... She had hugged him before, but never so long or so close. She had practically been in his lap, and he wished she would do that again when the situation wasn't so... crappy.

It was always just a kiss on the cheek or a short hug. Of course, it was mainly his own fault for not asking her on a proper date. He was stubborn, yes, but who had time anyways? The two of them were always together fighting aliens, and the little time left over was spent on his car. Did they really need a date, when they were together all the time anyways?

Yes. Even Kevin knew the difference. Their one sad attempt had been the school dance, and that had been totally blown by more alien crap.

A real date would be nice... but with Gwen suffering there was no way he could ask now. He tried to put the softness of her hand to the back of his mind, and tried to forget that the two of them had just snuck past his mother, sleeping on the couch with the television on, and gone into his upstairs bedroom. He tried, _really hard_, to ignore the fact that they were both alone in that bedroom. They were here to talk about depressing alien things, like usual. There was absolutely nothing sexy about depressing alien things.

He forced himself to let go of her hand, sighing as he plopped down on his bed. If he were any kind of normal boy, and she were any kind of normal girl, the two of them would be a couple right now. They would be sneaking up to his room to make out. Yeah, Kevin was starting to feel that his life really was lacking a lot of the normal little things...

But he knew this was important. He was curious and worried, and knew that Gwen had to tell him everything. He didn't know if it would help her to tell him, or what he could do to help... but he did know he was going to go crazy if she didn't just spill it.

He patted the spot next to him, and she sat down.

"Alright- mom's dead asleep on the couch." Probably another night of vodka and soap opera's, but he kept that information to himself. "She won't listen in. There's no one else here... no more excuses. Explain."

Gwen took a deep breath, knotted her hands in her lap, and began.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Thirty Minutes

When her world had gone pink, shortly after their battle with the armored whip-tail lizard had begun, she didn't notice anything odd or out of place.

But from the moment that flash occurred, her whole reality had changed. She had no way of knowing at the time, but everything she saw at that time was wrong. Different.

Horrible.

At first, things were much the same. Her energy attacks weren't doing much, but at the very least she could use her shields. They held up ok.

Ben attacked as Big Chill, freezing wind blowing at the creature.

Half of the creature was frozen, and for a moment it was immobile. Then, all at once, it let out a mighty roar and burst from the ice in a show of strength. Without wasting another move it hurled it's tail at Ben, catching him by surprise in the middle. The force of the attack sent him flying into a half-finished building, the iron frame wobbling with the impact.

"Ben!" she called, "Look out!"

CRASH!

It was too late; the whole structure collapsed, burying him under it in moments.

Gwen tried to slow down her suddenly panicked breathing- she was worried, but Ben had survived worse. All the two remaining heroes had to do was keep the creature busy until Ben bust through the layers of steel as Humungousaur or something.

Yes. Ben was fine. He had to be.

Kevin smashed into the lizard's side. As if he were nothing more than a small toy, Kevin bounced right back off, not even managing to make the thing lose it's balance. It growled, a low sound deep in it's throat, and aimed it's massive tail directly at Kevin. Gwen jumped forward, throwing herself in front of the boy and bringing up a shield.

Wham!

The tail caused the shield to fracture, and she held strong to the remnants. It wouldn't last another direct hit, but she was sure she had enough Mana to call up another one. Still, all that did was buy them time. Without Ben in action, the two of them couldn't hope to take out the monster.

"Any... grunt... bright ideas, Kevin?" She asked, grimacing as she held her shield against another swipe of the thing's tail. It shattered completely, and she called up a new one just in time.

"Um... we... hit it again?" Kevin tried, and Gwen fought not to roll her eyes. His eyes tore across the construction site, clearly searching for something to absorb. The place was full of metal, but he was already encased in iron. What else...

"Steel!" Kevin yelled, gesturing at a carefully stacked pile of metal beams. "Maybe that will help?"

"Go!" Gwen yelled. "I'll keep him busy!"

Confident in her abilities, Kevin didn't hesitate. He ran towards the beams across the field, very near where Ben had collapsed.

What was taking him so long?

Maybe Ben was seriously hurt?

The creature tried to follow Kevin, but Gwen raised a wall in front of it, keeping it where it was. "Oh, no, buddy. You're gonna stick with me for a minute."

It growled again, slamming into the shield and breaking it in one go. Before she could react to that incredible show of force, it's swirled around, slamming it's whip-like tail into her. The impact hit her hard around the middle, sending her to the ground several yards away. She fell hard, the breath knocked out of her. She gasped at the air, trying to draw breath, and when she finally did she realized it _hurt_. **A lot.**

She must have broken a rib when the thing smacked her. She knew she was broken and bruised all over from such a fall, but the rib was almost more than she could bear. Forget about standing up and fighting when breathing felt like a huge task...

"K... Kevin..." She managed to wheeze, raising herself on one elbow to look for the boy. He was running to her... and so was the creature. She had to move. She knew she had to move. But struggle as she might, her body just wouldn't listen to her.

He reached her just in time, picking her up in his arms and throwing them both to the side to avoid the lizard's stampede. It barreled past them, snorting in rage.

Gwen tried not to scream at the agony that hit her body the moment Kevin lifted her. Even with all of her strength, she couldn't avoid a small cry from escaping her mouth, belying her pain.

"Gwen?" he asked, looking down at the girl in his arms. He set his gaze back on the creature, now turning to make another pass at them. His eyes were steely and set, and he narrowed them in resignation. "We need to leave."

"But Ben..." She wheezed past her pain, one eye closed as she fought to breathe.

"You need help, and I can't beat that thing on my own." They were already running towards the car as he spoke. "Ben's alright. Ben has to be alright." The last part was whispered, as if he were trying to convince himself as well as her.

Ben wasn't alright. Not if he wasn't moving by now. What if the omnitrix recharged while he was still under that heavy pile? His human body would be crushed...

The creature barreled past them again, Kevin jumping to the side. This move jarred Gwen more than she could stand, and she cried out as her leg bounced in Kevin's arms. It must have been broken, too... or at least sprained.

"Sorry." Kevin said, his face twisted up as if he could feel her pain, and he continued towards the car. He opened the backseat, shoving her inside unceremoniously and jumping into the front fast. The creature was coming towards them again- Gwen could see it from the side window she was facing. She couldn't sit up or move or even talk... but she knew urging Kevin to hurry was pointless. Of course he was hurrying.

He shoved in the key, started the car, and...

BAM!

The lizard smashed into them, sending the shiny green car tumbling. Gwen was flung to the roof, then back down to the seat, then to the roof again. A seat belt would have helped the situation, but Kevin hadn't had the time to worry about that.

They were both pretty smacked-around after that collision, but at least Kevin had his metal armor.

"Gwen! Are you ok!?" He yelled from the front seat. The car was still upside down, and she opened her eyes to slits to find Kevin struggling to reach her. Finally he gave up on opening the door, and instead just started to pry away the metal frame of the car to get to her.

She almost found the strength to smile. He was destroying his car to save her. She had no idea why this was funny- maybe she had hit her head too hard?

"I'm just... fine..." She said softly, and it scared her how soft her voice sounded. She hadn't meant to whisper.

Kevin finally managed to grab the fabric of her shirt, and pulled her from the wrecked car just as the creature aimed a careful swipe of it's swift tail at the wreck, sending it flying with a tremendous roar.

Kevin was breathing hard, now, and Gwen wondered just how long he could keep this up on his own. If Ben wasn't ok... they were going to die, weren't they? Kevin couldn't run and carry her at the same time. He was strong, and he was fast... but he wasn't superman.

"You have to... go..." She managed to whisper. She tried to look up at the boy she cared about... loved... but was scared to find her vision getting very fuzzy. How much blood had she lost? Was she bleeding? She hurt so bad, she had to be bleeding.

Kevin gritted his teeth, looking up at the thing. Then... he ran.

He left her and ran.

She let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Good. At least he'll make it out alive. If Kevin was alive... well, that was ok.

"Over here!" She heard a voice call out, and with all her willpower she managed to fling her eyes open. Slowly, ignoring the pain, she moved herself on her side so she could look across the construction site to where the monster now loomed over Kevin.

He hadn't left. He had led the alien away from her.

"No..." She said, choking on the word as breathing became harder. Internal bleeding? Probably. She had to get to a hospital.

But the more pressing matter on her mind was Kevin, facing off against the monster alone.

They were all going to die. Even Kevin...

"No..." She managed again. Not him too. She couldn't lose him too...

Schwoop!

The creatures tail cut through the air towards the metal boy, and he just barely dodged it. His movements were labored, and Gwen decided that the crash must have hurt even him more than he let on.

He raised a clubbed fist, driving it into the thing's side as it moved to swipe again. He wasn't letting it position itself to hit him with it's tail- he just kept moving, circling the alien. The creature roared and charged. Kevin moved again, keeping at it's side.

Smart boy.

Gwen wanted to grin as she watched Kevin. He was keeping to the monster's side, punching it again and again. It seemed to be working- she swore she could see cracks in the exoskeletal armor. Meanwhile, the creature was too large and lumbering to attack him. Right at it's side it was vulnerable- it couldn't charge sideways and it couldn't reach with it's tail. Gwen wondered if maybe, just maybe, she had underestimated Kevin. Maybe he could beat it...

And then he tripped.

The piece of debris had been lying there for a while, ever since Ben had smacked into the building, but Kevin had only been concentrating on keeping to the creature's broad side. He hadn't noticed the piece of scapmetal until his heel smacked into it, sending him sprawling to the ground.

The creature wasted no time stepping on him.

His body was coated in steel, and took the impact better than expected. Gwen saw him struggling to get up, something a normal human would never have done again after being crushed by a 10 ton giant lizard. The creature stomped at him again, and she could see the cracks appear in his armor.

And again. Kevin yelled this time, hurting.

Enough. Gwen had had enough. This. Could. Not. Happen. Kevin couldn't die.

No way.

It was as if a dam had broken, and all the energy trapped inside her sprung forth, encompassing her body. Light and strength and energy filled her in a way she had never thought possible. She was a being of pure power, strong and sure. She could do anything- anything at all, and she knew taking out the creature would be child's play.

She raised her hands, looking down at her purple-glowing skin. It was beautiful, really...

Her body didn't hurt anymore.

Did she even have a body anymore?

She stood, and without hesitation she flew straight at the alien. With a few hand gestures, the thing was in pieces, lying scattered across the site as if a bomb had gone off. Chunks of orangish reptile meat coated the brown dug-up ground.

Whoa.

She hadn't meant to do that. Perhaps this was why it took so long to learn to control Anodite powers? She didn't care- the creature deserved to be mincemeat after...

Kevin! She had almost forgotten about him! The power flooding through her had made him seem... insignificant. A small point in the story rather than the main plot.

She was suddenly frightened of the power that made her feel so good, horrified at what it was doing to her mind. She drew back, trying hard to force the power back inside her. She was scared- so scared- at how easy it had been to forget about her friend. Kevin and Ben. This power wasn't important- _they were._

She could feel it working- the energy was dimming, and she imagined it as a ball being crushed smaller and smaller in her heart. She knew the moment it had worked- even before she saw her skin return to it's normal color.

Finally managing to draw the power back inside her, she fell to the ground only feet away from Kevin. She studied her hand in front of her. Yep. Back to human. No more strange purple-glowy skin.

And her wounds were gone, too.

"Kevin?" She asked hesitantly, moving over to his still form. He was lying face-up, his armor almost entirely cracked off and lying around him in pieces. He was bleeding badly, though Gwen had no idea where from. It seemed to be coming from everywhere all at once. She was breathing hard, now, and she tried to keep herself calm and focused. There was just _so much_ blood!

Freaking out wouldn't help. She had to get him to a hospital.

The only way she even knew he was alive was when he coughed, more blood coming from the corners of his mouth. He opened one eye.

"This..." He sputtered weakly, "...reversed."

Only minutes before it had been _her_ near death. Before her inner Anodite power fixed her up...

"Yeah, Kevin." She said, trying not to sound scared. "This is certainly reversed."

"...How?"

"I guess the Anodite in me won out, somehow... it's not important. Don't talk- I'll call for an ambulance..." She grabbed at her phone in her pocket... and found it to be so broken, it was almost dust. Pieces of plastic hung off it pathetically, the screen in a million tiny pieces.

Her clothing was still a wreck, too. Only her body had been healed by her miraculous transformation.

"Crap..." She muttered. "Ok. Don't panic." She said to herself, her own voice getting higher. "I'll just go to the road and flag someone down. There have to be car's passing by here... even though it's late... and off the main road..."

Don't panic don't panic don't panic.

If he was talking, then he would have to be ok, right? Dying people don't talk much, right?

"Kevin? You're going to be alright..." She said, trying to blink away her tears. She never cried in front of anyone- ever- but she just couldn't seem to stop herself. "I have to go for a minute. Just... just stay still, ok?"

Before she could stand on shaky legs his hand shot out, gripping her wrist. His grip was weak; hardly there. He didn't say anything, but his eyes were on her.

"I have to go get help..." She managed to choke out past a sob. He wasn't talking now. Why the _hell_ wasn't he talking now? Why did he stop her?

Then, without warning, something changed. His eyes were still open, still looking at her, but they were dull. He wasn't moving. Wasn't breathing.

Before she could even process the horror of what had just happened the pink light flashed again, and she found herself back to the beginning, watching as Ben and Kevin battled the creature. She could only stand, shocked, and watch the scene play out. It wasn't the same scene- everything was different. Ben didn't die. Kevin didn't die. _It was different._

Even when the creature left, she still couldn't fully believe it. It was too good to be true. The universe didn't work this way- people didn't come back from the dead. Death didn't give second chances. So... was the whole thing in her mind?

Was the winning battle even real? Or was this happy outcome the vision and the other world was real?


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Reality?

"Whoa. Heavy." Was all Kevin could think to say after Gwen had finished. He had managed to stay quiet the whole time and listen, but her attention to detail made it clear that she had been replaying the scene again and again to herself. She said she hadn't been sleeping well? No wonder.

Several times he wanted to interrupt and let her know the obvious: That it hadn't happened. That it was just a dream. But he bit his tongue, letting her tell him everything.

She stared at him, and of course he knew his words hadn't been sufficient. "I mean... it's obvious that that wasn't real. I'm fine. Ben's fine. Everything's... fine." He added dumbly, trying to find the words to comfort her.

She sighed, drawing her knees up. His bed was set against the wall, and she had moved back to lean against it, her shoes kicked off on the floor. "I know. I know everything's fine. But what if... what if it was real? Like a premonition...?"

"That's impossible. There's no such thing. Besides, if you were seeing the future than how could it be so similar to what was already happening? Pretty sure we won't be fighting the same creature, in exactly the same way, in exactly the same spot again."

She nodded jerkily. "Uh, huh."

"Maybe it was just some side effect of your powers? Like, maybe you were using too much Mana and you just had a delirious dream?"

"No. It wasn't a dream." She buried her face in her knees. "It was too real. I could feel everything. I was aware of everything. I remember things in such detail-" her breathing hitched, like she was holding back a sob. She cleared her throat, looking up.

"So that's why you threw up your shields in front of us?" Kevin suddenly realized. Everything was making much more sense now. "You were just scared?"

"I was scared." She agreed. "I was scared of losing you two. I..." She looked at him, meeting his eyes with her own. They were swimming in liquid, but the tears weren't actually falling. They were like dams, ready to break at any moment, kept at bay by the sheer willpower of the girl in front of him. "I was scared of seeing you die again."

Kevin wasn't too good with emotions. He never knew how to handle sad people, and he usually just stood around feeling awkward when someone poured themselves out to him like this. But somehow... right at that moment he knew what she needed him to do. He reached forward, pulling her to him in a tight embrace.

That did it. She started to cry in earnest this time, and he almost wondered if he had made the wrong call, there. "Hey, like I said, I'm fine. You don't have to worry. We'll find out what made you have that weird... vision-dream thing, and we'll make sure it never happens again, so just..."

"I knew I would cry." She said, actually sounding angry through her tears as she hugged him back, gripping handfulls of his shirt and continuing to sob against his chest. "I knew I wasn't strong enough to hide it- that's why I didn't want Ben here. I don't want to worry Ben- I don't want him to think it's some kind of premonition. He has enough on his plate. We all do. Please don't tell him. Don't tell anyone..."

"I... er, that you're crying? I won't, but I mean we have to find out why you had that vision so I have to tell him..."

"Just tell him I saw us losing the fight, ok? No... no details."

Kevin wondered, then, why she hadn't just told _him_ that. Why was he entitled to the details? He felt a small jolt at realizing that this must mean she trusted him a lot; that she relied on him. Sure, if he were in her shoes he would have kept his own feelings bottled up, but hadn't he heard somewhere that girls like to talk about stuff that's upsetting them? Maybe she just _had _to let someone know, and he had been that someone.

Besides, if she hadn't told him everything he wouldn't really understand why she was so upset.

The idea of her being so beat-up... that description was much scarier than the part about him dying. He was alive and well, and had never been anywhere near close to being defeated during that battle. However, he remembered how she hadn't been reacting to the fight, how that tail had almost collided with her in real life... She really could have ended up like that, broken and bloody. It was far too close to the truth for Kevin.

He tightened his arms around her. "Come on, now. What's our track record? How much butt have we kicked, and exactly how many times have we gotten killed?"

She laughed, a strange noise among her shaking tears. She pulled back from him, wiping at her face messily with her sleeve. His room was a train wreck, clothing and papers strewn everywhere, but he stood up and managed to find a nearly-full box of tissues hiding under his bed. She took it gratefully, blowing her nose and cleaning up her face. "So stupid..." She muttered, fighting to make her lips turn upwards into a smile. It was shaky, and kept drawing downwards as a few last tears managed to sneak past. "Dammit." She pulled out a few more tissues, wiping the rogue tears away.

"Wow. Good-girl's swearing. This really is a rare occasion."

She laughed again, and it made something brighten inside him to hear the sound.

Her face clean (though somewhat red and puffy), she ran a shakey hand back over her head, her fingers traveling through her hair and straightening it out. She took a deep breath and smiled at him. He sat back down next to her, and she reached over to grip his hand. "Ok," she said, "I need to stop worrying about it so much. This is reality- that's not." She gripped his hand a bit tighter as if to affirm it, and Kevin looked down at her graceful long fingers wrapped around his own. Her hand looked so small... She moved her thumb, brushing it against his skin lightly.

He gulped.

Was it just him, or had the atmosphere changed? No, it was just him- it had to be.

Right?

Crap.

He was feeling awkward, now, unsure of himself. What should he do? Now that she had calmed down... and that talk about reality... the soft pressure of her warm hand in his...

He wanted to kiss her. Would that be weird? Or would it be kinda cool, like he could say something like "How's this for reality?"

Gah. That was stupid. He should just keep his thoughts- and lips- to himself.

"Kevin?"

Even her voice was soft and silky, and he felt as if it were washing over him. Was he imagining it, or was she leaning towards him, now?

Her free hand touched his chest, and she moved even closer. There was a gap between their bodies, but Kevin felt warm all over as her lips finally met his. He closed his eyes, leaning into the kiss, tasting her sweet bubblegum-flavored chapstick.

Somewhere, at the back of his mind, there was a little voice protesting that this wasn't how it was supposed to happen. The guy was supposed to kiss the girl in this scenerio, not the other way around.

He promptly told that little voice to shut up and mind it's own damn business.

He brought his hand up, placing it firmly behind her neck, keeping her close to him as he deepened the kiss. Her hair was smooth and cool against his hand, and he could feel her own fingers threading through his hair. Her other hand moved to his waist, encouraging him, moving him closer to her.

He was waiting for the spell to break, for her to push back and give him some hint that it was time to stop. Her kisses were so wonderful, her breath hot and her lips soft against his own... he didn't want to stop. He couldn't stop on his own, not if she didn't tell him to.

He just kinda hoped that that subtle hint didn't come in the form of an energy ball to his gut.

With that thought he broke the kiss, breathing hard as he looked down at Gwen. His heart was thumping wildly like a drum, a crazy beat pounding inside him. Her auburn hair was fanned out around her like a halo... when did they get in this position? He didn't remember lying down, half of his body covering hers...

"Er, sorry, I..." They had barely even kissed before- he was moving too fast here, he knew it. He was nervous about making her mad... but she didn't look mad. He took one look at her half-lidden eyes, her full lips and rapid breathing, and that was it. He let out a quick curse as he dove back to her lips, continuing the kiss. As if to reassure him, Gwen wrapped her arms around his middle, her hands pressing down on his back and moving gently down his side with small caressing circles.

Experimentally, he pushed his tongue forward, past her lush lips, tasting her. The action caused her to make a little noise, and Kevin decided it was a good noise. A very good noise. It caused his heart to skip a beat and his body to grow hot, and all at once the kiss became something frantic. He explored her mouth further, his tongue suddenly dancing with her own. She slid the pink muscle along his, so soft and tantalizing, and he could feel any semblance of control left starting to slip away.

Bzzt bzzt.

What the _hell_ was that annoying noise?

Bzzt bzzt.

It was some kind of... vibration...?

Bzzt bzzt.

"Mmm..." Gwen murmured against his lips, her hands moving out from where they had been slowly creeping under his shirt, instead placing them on his shoulders. She pushed lightly, and even though he obeyed and moved away he kept up the kiss for as long as possible before their bodies were just too far apart. He reluctantly broke the kiss.

"What's wrong?" he asked, trying not to sound as annoyed as he felt.

"Nothing! Just... um... my phone."

That's what that annoying buzzing was. It was her phone, set to vibrate, sitting on the dresser by his bed. He groaned, but quickly sat up, giving her space to scooch forward and grab at the annoying little interruption-machine. He carefully positioned himself so he could hide the evidence of his arousal as well, covertly grabbing a pillow and holding it. Or at least he hoped it was covert.

"Hello?" She said, sounding rushed. Her face was a very cute shade of pink, and her tone clearly betrayed the fact that she was every bit as annoyed as Kevin.

That made the situation marginally better, and he had to grin.

"Uh... with Ben. I'm tutoring him in Spanish... oh, you called his house already huh? No, I didn't hear my phone ring earlier. I- did I say I was helping Ben study? That's what I was doing earlier, you see... um, now? I'm, um, just getting some dinner with Kevin..." A loud, indistinguishable voice came over the phone just then, and even though Kevin couldn't hear the words he could certainly recognize the angry parental tone. Gwen's awkward stumbling was uncharacteristic, and Kevin had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing. She shot him a warning glare, running a hand through her frazzled hair. "No, mom. No. Mom: stop. Please? Seriously." She placed a hand on her forehead. "Dear god, mom, this is not the time. No! I'm not talking back, just... can we talk about it when I get home? Yes, five minutes. Understood. Bye." She hung up the phone with an angry button-push, her face even redder than before.

"And what did your mommy have to say?"

"Shut up Kevin. And trust me- you don't want to know."

Kevin snickered, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed so his feet were planted firmly on the floor. "Your folks figured out you were with me and totally freaked, huh?"

Gwen covered her face with her slim hand, as if to hide. "I'm with you _all the time_- it's like my mom has psychic powers or something. Why does she choose _now_ to freak out, when... er..."

"When there's actually something for her to freak out about?" Kevin said, his face set in a huge grin. It was just too entertaining to see Gwen looking so flustered. Of course, he would rather they were making out again, but seeing her all red was a close second.

"There's nothing for her to... we were just... ugh." Gwen stood, continuing to hide her face with a hand. "Ok, now I _do_ need you to give me a ride home. If I'm not there in five minutes my mother might lock me in my room until I'm twenty."

"Five minutes?" Kevin said, his tone still light and joking, "What mischief, exactly, does she think we can get into if it takes you ten minutes to get home?"

"I am _so_ not going to ask." Gwen muttered. She shot him a look, her hand reaching out to point directly at his face. "And you need to cut the jokes. This isn't funny! I'm going to be in so much trouble... I'm way past my not-saving-the-world-night curfew."

"Relax! Newsflash: she's not actually psychic. And it's not like we were doing anything wrong..."

Gwen raised her eyebrows at that, but didn't comment further.

"Just tell her we were out patrolling. We do that, you know. Patrol."

Gwen sighed. "I can be out all night fighting aliens, but if my mom thinks I'm with a boy I'm not related to I'm suddenly under a strict curfew." She laughed lightly, giving Kevin a smile. "Though I can honestly say I'm quickly forgetting about my earlier troubles."

Earlier troubles...? Oh, right. The whole vision-thing. Kevin had completely forgotten, and honestly didn't need the reminder. The last ten minutes or so had wiped his mind clean of all that, too…

"Alright, let's get you home. But don't expect me to walk you to the door..."

"So, despite your jokes, you're admitting my mother can be scary."

"Hell yeah- I'm not getting mixed up in that."

Gwen rolled her eyes as they headed out to the car. "My hero."

**A/N: I began this fic many years ago. One line in this chapter, after rereading it, made me laugh out loud. I had no way of knowing about future Charmcaster episodes… well, I don't want to give any spoilers to those who haven't watched all of the series. I just found it funny that I had Kevin mention a "not-dying" track record. XD**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: Talking

True to his word, Kevin let her off at the curb and continued on his merry way. For once, Gwen didn't blame him- she would have probably ditched him too if their situations were reversed. No one likes dealing with angry parents.

With a heavy sigh, she noticed that the curtains on the front window were open, and her mother was looking out at her with a stern gaze. With heavy steps, Gwen made her way inside, trying to be nonchalant and sneak off to her room.

"Gwen."

No such luck.

"Er, mom, look, sorry I'm home so late. You know how it is, alien stuff... where's dad?" Gwen's eyes grazed the room, looking for help from her less-stern parent. Nope. Only mom home tonight, so there was no one to take her side and call her "princess."

Crap.

"He's working late."

"... which was exactly what I was doing." She was such a bad liar. She would never make it as an actor, that's for sure.

"Oh, really? Then tell me, Gwendolyn Tennyson, why you felt you had to _lie_ to me."

Gwen shrank under her mother's gaze. It had been awhile since she had gotten in trouble. Her mom was usually pretty cool with all the "saving the world" stuff, or at least she pretended to be. But lying was a big breach of the mother-daughter contract. She was in trouble.

She sighed, knowing it was probably better to just get it over with and tell the truth. Er, some of it. "I was with Ben and Kevin- seriously, mom, don't look at me like that! I'm telling the truth this time- and Ben left and I was just... hanging out at Kevin's house. Talking about serious alien stuff. It's not like this is the first time... we're a team. It's what we do: hang out, patrol, and fight bad guys."

Her mother had one hand on her face, her little finger tapping thoughtfully at her lip. It was usually something she did when she was nervous. She sighed, sat down on the couch, and patted the seat next to her. "Come here, Gwen. We need to have a little talk."

Uh, oh.

"Uh, that's ok mom. I don't need-"

"Gwendolyn!"

"Please- can't you just ground me?"

Her mother smiled, and to Gwen's eyes it looked just a tad bit vindictive. "No, Gwen, I don't think so. You're fifteen years old now, a young woman, and I remember when I was your age-"

"Oh, mother, please no..."

"Sit. Down."

There was no arguing with that tone, and with a horrible sinking feeling Gwen sat down to one of the most uncomfortable, long "talks" her mother had ever given her. It was even worse than the original "sex" talk she had gotten when she was eleven. Worse, still, than the "all boy's want is one thing" talk of freshman year. By the end of it, she had to conclude that she would much rather fight deadly aliens than _ever_ have to go through that again...

…

"Chili Fry?" Ben asked, indicating the basket of greasy junk food in front of him. Gwen's stomach churned.

"No thank you."

"I'll have some!" Julie announced, happily grabbing a couple of the dripping fried potatoes. Gwen had no idea how the girl stayed so thin... oh, right, tennis.

"Way to interrupt..." Kevin muttered, taking a bite from his burger.

"Oh, sorry Kevin. You were saying about Gwen's crazy-act the other day...?"

"Hey! It wasn't crazy! She was just-"

"Actually, Kevin, I think crazy about covers it." Gwen answered, her voice suddenly serious and low with the topic at hand. "I dropped the ball. I can't let anything distract me when there's a battle going on. Someone could have been... someone could have gotten hurt because I just stood there."

"So, somehow you had a dream about losing a battle with the creature, while you were having a battle with it?" Julie said, munching on more of Ben's fries.

"It wasn't a dream." Gwen answered, surprised at the conviction in her voice. But it was true- she knew that, whatever it was she saw, it wasn't a dream. That's why she couldn't get over it...

"So, what happened? In your vision or whatever?" Ben asked between mouthfuls of food.

"I don't think that's relevant." Kevin said, finishing off his own meal.

"Oh? Relevant?" Ben said with a grin, mocking the big word good-naturedly. "Well, it's _relevant _if it's some kind of premonition, right? What if it was trying to tell us something-"

"No." Gwen answered firmly. "Kevin and I already talked about it, and that's not what it is." Her voice was strong and convincing. She didn't _want_ it to be a vision of the future, so she was firm in her belief that it wasn't. Kevin was right- how could the exact same thing happen twice?

"Ooookay." Ben answered, confused. "Having secret meetings without me?"

Gwen coughed, trying to covertly cover her blush at the memory of their secret "meeting."

"Maybe we were on a date, third wheel." Kevin said with a laugh, throwing a fry at the shorter boy across the table.

Julie giggled, and though Gwen may have imagined it the girl seemed to shoot her a conspiratorial glance. "And that's why you can't come on patrol tonight." The cute Asian girl said with a smile.

"Uh, maybe..." Gwen muttered.

"How long are you grounded for?" Kevin asked with a smirk.

She shot him a glare, just to drive her point home. "A week. Not that that was the worst of it..."

"What? You got grounded? You aren't coming to look for the lizard-monster tonight?" Ben asked, eyebrows raised.

"Yes, Ben! That's what she was saying earlier. Weren't you listening?" Julie admonished.

"Nope. I was too absorbed in the greasy goodness of my fries... which are all gone." Ben answered with a sad little sigh. He hoped up out of the booth, heading for the front counter for a refill.

"So," Kevin began, "your mom read you the riot act, huh?"

"I just don't understand how she knew-" Gwen was suddenly very aware of Julie, happily sipping her soda and listening to their every word with a smile. "- uh, knew that I was late. Since her clock is broken..."

"Mom's just have a way of knowing when their daughters have serious boyfriends." Julie announced cheerfully. Her insight astounded Gwen, who could only blink across the table at the girl. Julie winked. "You're late all the time, but this was different because now you and Kevin are a couple. Am I right? You are a couple, right?"

"Uh..." Gwen shot Kevin a sideways look, not sure what to say to that.

"Yeah." Kevin answered hesitantly, giving Gwen the same sideways gaze. "Yeah we... are?"

"Absolutely." Gwen said.

"Good."

Gwen sighed, not liking the sappy look Julie was giving them, looking from her to Kevin and back again. The girl was so good-intentioned, but much too insightful. "Anyways, it's not fair of her to ground me when there are still problems with aliens. Like there always are. You guys need me..."

"Don't worry! I'll be filling in tonight- I have Ship! If we find the big lizard-guy I'll be able to help." She turned to Kevin, smirking. "And for once, you'll be the one who's the third wheel, Kevin."

Gwen couldn't help but laugh at the look on Kevin's face as he realized he was about to spend his night with the couple sitting in the backseat of his precious car. It was priceless.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: So, for those who haven't realized at this point… I like reading/writing fics that build a good story foundation before getting to the smut. I like it to build up slow… I think it makes the sex scenes much juicier. . So, I have to tell you now that real M rated fun isn't for awhile. But, like I said, I will update every day. If waiting drives you nuts, then wait a week and come back and you won't be disappointed. I think I did a pretty good job on the sex scenes, and let me tell you they are coming, in time.**

Chapter Six: Sleep Over and a Whole Lot of Nothing

Nothing. The night was a complete and total bust. Not only did Kevin have to deal with playing chauffer to the couple in his backseat for hours on end, but there wasn't even anything to show for it. The two of them were talking happily after a short argument about Julie's "pet," the alien creature that Ben truly didn't care much for. Now that their disagreement was over, Kevin could practically sense them making googly eyes at each other. It was gross. Their conversation was full of flirting, whether they realized it or not, and Kevin was close to just pulling off to the side of the road and dumping them. They could get a cab.

"So what did you tell your parents so you could come out tonight, anyways?" Julie's parents weren't exactly hip to the whole "hero" thing.

"Easy- I said I was spending the night at Gwen's." Julie answered happily, petting Ship.

"What if they call?"

"Well... they would call my cell, now wouldn't they? Do Gwen's parents even have a landline anymore? I know my family doesn't."

Kevin grinned. Oh, cell phones. Making it so much easier for kids to pull off the whole "sleep-over" lie.

"Anyways, they don't really question me much. As long as I get good grades and keep up with my tennis practice, my parents basically trust me to do the right thing on my own. Which, of course, doesn't include lying to them... but it's for a worthy cause, right?"

"Not tonight." Kevin muttered. "I say we call this a night. I'm tired, and we haven't seen a thing. It'll be morning soon, and if there's any activity then we'll hear about it on the news right away."

"Let's hope nothing happens in the day, when there are people about. That thing was pretty tough- it could hurt people." Ben said, and Kevin had to agree.

"In that case... would you mind dropping me off at Gwen's?" Julie asked. "I can't exactly go home early from my sleep over."

"Sure."

Kevin dropped Ben off first, and an uncomfortable silence descended on the two remaining teens. Kevin realized he had never actually had a direct conversation with Julie, let alone be alone with her, and he wasn't really sure what to say.

"So... you like... uh, tennis?" he tried.

Julie smiled. "Yes. Yes I do. And you like cars?"

"Uh, huh."

"Hmm..."

The silence continued for several miles.

"Gwen's place is just a few more blocks..."

"So, you and Gwen finally got together, huh?"

"Uh, yeah..."

"I thought you were a couple right from the get-go, but Ben said that wasn't exactly the case. The two of you always seem to be flirting, so I'm surprised it took so long."

"Well, we haven't exactly been on a date or anything yet..." What was he doing? Why was he telling her this? He sighed, shaking his head.

"Oh? Why? You should just ask her. And wasn't it a 'date' that got her grounded in the first place?"

"Oh, look, here's her house. Bye. Have fun." Kevin said, all but kicking the girl out of his car to end the awkward conversation. He certainly didn't need to discuss his love life with Ben's girlfriend. Ship made a strange mewling sound in her arms and she moved out of the car, They both waved as Kevin drove off in a hurry.

It wasn't until he was almost home that he got a frantic call from Julie, asking him to come back quick.

…

Gwen had spent her night being as useful as possible. She was sitting on her bed, back straight, focused, as she scanned for any sign of the creature's Mana.

Nothing.

It must have gone to another dimension; there was no other option. Still, it made her feel better about being stuck in her room to double check.

Suddenly her phone went off. The call waiting said, "Julie," and when Gwen answered it it turned out the girl was right outside her house.

They had planned on this. Gwen's mother may have grounded her, but she was perfectly alright with Gwen having a _girl_-friend over. It wasn't a common occurrence, afterall.

"Thanks." Julie said as Gwen opened up the door for her, leading her upstairs.

"No problem- thank you for helping the boys out. I would hate to have them go one-man-down on a mission..."

"Don't worry about it. Besides, this is your last weekend grounded right? If you can call it grounded, what with being allowed to have a friend spend the night. Oh, and eating out with all of us yesterday. And still having your cell phone..."

"Right, right. I know. It's weird. I think as long as I'm not 'making babies,' as my mother so eloquently put it, I'm allowed to hang out with whoever I want."

Julie giggled, and Gwen instantly regretted ever talking. "Uh, that was a very odd thing to say. Pretend I didn't say it. In fact, for the record, we talked about nothing."

"Don't worry- my parents freak out about Ben too. I think that's just their job."

Gwen cringed, opening the door to her room. "Oh, please tell me you two haven't- I don't want to know this. Not at all."

Julie covered her grin with her hand, and her face grew very red as she followed Gwen into her room. "No! Of course we haven't... I just meant that parents can be paranoid. That's all I was saying. Ben's too oblivious anyways- we've only kissed once."

"Oblivious? Try having a mutual crush on a guy for a year and not getting asked on a date once."

Julie sighed, plopping down on Gwen's fluffy blue comforter. "Well, they do say girls mature faster than boys, right? Actually, I find Ben very charming... even when he's oblivious."

"Hmm... charming. I don't know what adjective to use about Kevin, but that wouldn't be-"

Without any warning, interrupting their little 'girl talk,' everything flashed pink again before Gwen's eyes. She was left with just enough time to think, "oh, not again," before she collapsed to the floor in a heap.

…

"Slow down. I'm coming back- just tell me what's wrong."

"It's Gwen! I don't know what's wrong. I thought about waking her parents, but what if it's alien stuff? How would they know how to deal with alien stuff? Then I thought I should call Ben, but he doesn't have a car, and-"

"Julie. Calm down. I got it. Now just tell me what happened."

As it turned out, Julie didn't have much to say. One minute Gwen was fine, and then suddenly she was on the floor in a heap, breathing heavily. Julie had managed to move her to the bed, but was at a loss as to what to do next. By the time Kevin arrived, Julie was waiting outside, looking anxious.

Kevin jumped from his car, all but running towards the front door. He didn't bother waiting for Julie, and he didn't bother being especially quiet- he just headed right up to Gwen's room and busted through the door. His heart was pumping in his chest, and the worry that had been feeding his sense of urgency since he heard Julie's panicked tone only began to fade as he checked Gwen out. He could feel a pulse. She was breathing fine. She wasn't injured. She just seemed to be... asleep? Or had she fainted?

"Gwen?" He tried, grabbing her shoulder and shaking her slightly. It wasn't a very gentle move, but the jarring motion seemed to do the trick; she began to stir.

"Oh, good! She's waking up!" Julie exclaimed, coming over to the bed beside Kevin. "I was so worried- she didn't move at all when I put her on the bed."

"K... Kevin." Gwen muttered groggily.

"Yeah? I'm right here," he answered.

Gwen's eyes snapped open, taking in the sight of him. Her eyes grew wide. "What are you doing here!? If my parents catch you here..."

"Hey, relax. I can leave if you want..."

"No!" Gwen said, suddenly the picture of contradictory statements. She grabbed his arm, keeping him close. "Please don't go."

"Is this the same vision thing as before?" Julie asked, eyes wide as she met Kevin's.

"I don't know. Gwen?"

"No. Not the same. It was different. It was..." Gwen's eyes focused on Julie, and she suddenly seemed to calm down. Only the high pitch of her voice belied her continued stress. "Julie? Would you mind if..."

"Say no more! I'll, um, I'll be in the guest room. It's the one down the hall right? I should catch some sleep anyways..." She cast one last worried glance at the sick girl in bed before leaving, closing the door behind her.

Kevin was surprised Julie had picked up on their need to be alone so quick. Gwen obviously didn't want the girl overhearing whatever happened... which meant Kevin was in for another unpleasant story. He sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed next to the horizontal form of Gwen. "What happened?" He asked, his tone slightly exasperated.

Gwen hugged her pillow to her, making no move to sit up. Kevin could feel her weight shift on the bed as she turned sideways, facing him. "You don't... you don't have to stay and listen. It's not like it's important..."

"Sure it is. If it's something bad, then I need to know about it. Uh, that is, so we can figure out what's going on..."

Gwen smiled. "You're sweet."

"Sweet?" Never in his life had Kevin heard that word used to describe him, and he had to laugh. Him? Sweet? That really topped the charts for 'strangest thing Gwen's ever said.'

"Yeah." Gwen reached forward, grabbing his hand. "For coming so quick. For listening to me. For just sitting here with me..."

This was strange. She was acting just a little too sappy for normal, and Kevin was watching carefully for the tell-tale signs of tears. This time, there were none. She didn't even look sad, really.

"Alright- I give up. I can't even guess what you saw this time. So, spill it."

"Huh? Oh, right... the vision..." She looked away from him, a faint blush gracing her cheeks. "This time it wasn't something horrible. I... I don't know what to make of it. But I have a theory now, about the visions."

"You do? Well, first fill me in here- what happened in this one?" He was honestly curious. It wasn't bad? What kind of vision could she have, and why was she having them if they were just random?

"Um. Well..."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Fanficers live off of reviews, munching on the words of good will like a mouse on scraps of cheese… er, that is, keep reviewing please! XD If I get at least 3 more reviews by tonight I'll do a double upload! In fact, we can keep that rule: every day that I get at least 3 reviews will be a two chapter day. . Thanks, and keep reading!**

**Chapter Seven: Eight Hours**

Gwen opened her eyes, groaning past her headache. The pink flash had been violent this time, and since she seemed to be waking up in bed she could only assume it had knocked her unconscious.

"Ugh... Julie?" She tried, looking around with rapid blinking.

She wasn't in her room.

But... there were some familiar things in it. Her favorite painting she had bought at a rummage sale, her spell books, her dresser...

The room was clearly one she had never been in before, though, and was at least twice as big as her bedroom. The bed was a queen, decorated in a shade of purple Gwen found to be very tasteful. The whole room, in fact, seemed to be very much her style.

The only problem was that it was definitely _not_ her room.

"What the hell-" She muttered, sitting up.

"Gwen! Hurry it up, will ya?"

And that wasn't her mother's voice. Or her father's. But it was a voice she knew well...

"Kevin!" She yelled as the boy walked into the room casually, brushing at the sleeve of his... very nice looking blazer, actually. In fact, he was dressed very sharp, the semi-formal suit hugging his body in just the right way. The jacket was tailored, fitting over his broad shoulders, creating a very sauve image.

Gwen blinked, shaking her head. Not the time. "You can't be here! My parents are going to kill me!"

His eye's narrowed, and a small frown appeared on his face. "Haha. This is really not the time for joking, Gwen. We're going to be late, and- wait! You're still not dressed? Aw, man... why does it take girls forever to get ready!?"

"G... get ready for what?" Realization was slowly seeping into Gwen's mind, and she knew that this was another strange vision. It felt... very different from the first. Still incredibly real, but there was no heart-pounding danger involved. Just... confusion.

Her mind raced, trying to come up with some sort of explanation. What was this vision about? Was she supposed to be understanding something from these, or were they really just random?

Kevin rolled his eyes. "Duh. Only the event I haven't stopped hearing about for more than _ten minutes_ the past three months. And I thought you were supposed to be there early, anyways?"

Gwen gave him a strange look, her head cocked to the side as she tried to figure out what the well-dressed boy was talking about.

"Don't give me that look! I listen! You can't tell me I don't listen- you're supposed to be there by two. That gives us like a half hour for you to get dressed, get out the door, and get to the church."

"Church?"

Kevin paused in the middle of fumbling with a cufflink, slowly looking up at Gwen with concern beginning to show in his eyes. "Yeah... Gwen, you feeling ok?"

What should she do? Play through the story as if she knew what was going on? Or should she assume this other Kevin knew what was happening with these visions, and demand some answers?

No. Looking up at him with his eyebrows drawn, his face set in a worried frown, she couldn't believe he was some mastermind to a plot against her. In fact, for whatever reason, she _knew_ this was really Kevin. This was the same boy she had kissed only a week ago, the same boy she had fought beside time and time again.

Only it wasn't.

Just like the room, the same but different.

"I'm fine. Just a little overwhelmed. About the... wedding?" She figured she had a 50/50 chance on that one. Either a wedding or a funeral. Wedding was a better guess, since she had apparently been talking about it for a while...

Kevin visibly relaxed, and she knew she had guessed right. "Ha. You had me going for a minute there. Yeah, I guess you would be overwhelmed, I mean... this is Ben getting married, right? Nothing quite so terrifying as that." He snickered, reaching for the top drawer of Gwen's dresser.

Ben. Her cousin, Ben? That Ben? Ben Ben? Getting married? Ok, now she knew she wasn't in Kansas anymore. And just what did Kevin think he was doing opening that drawer!?

"Hey-" Gwen started, raising a hand to grab Kevin's wrist. Vision or not, she wasn't comfortable with letting Kevin peek around in her underwear drawer.

"What?" Kevin asked, looking at her expectantly, one hand still on the knob of the drawer.

"Uh... um..." Gwen could feel her face going red. If everything else was different, maybe this wasn't her dresser at all. "Nevermind, I guess..."

"You know, you really are acting strange. Are you sick or something?" He reached up without warning, placing a large hand gently on Gwen's forehead. "You do feel warm..."

Gwen shook her head, displacing the hand. Her face was probably even redder, now, but she just couldn't help it.

"I said I'm fine. Are you looking for something?" She tried, eying the hand on the knob.

"Oh, yeah, I can't find this stupid cufflink's mate." He said, indicating the small golden object on his sleeve. "I didn't want to tell you... I know they were a gift from your dad and all, so don't freak out. I'm sure I'll find it lying around somewhere." He pulled open the drawer, and to Gwen's horror it was indeed still full of her underwear. Without even blinking, Kevin unceremoniously shoved aside the delicate lacey things, pulling a box from the back. "I figured I'd check your jewelry stash- I know you put stuff in there if you find it around the house..."

"Uh, huh." Gwen said, trying not to sound mortified. This was weird. Very, very weird. "I, um, don't remember seeing it..."

"Ah, ha!" Kevin announced, finding the cufflink nestled in among a small pile of earrings and necklaces, some of which Gwen recognized. He grinned triumphantly, holding it up. "Wanna help me out here?"

"Sure..." Gwen agreed, putting the thing on his right sleeve while her mind spun.

Clearly, Kevin was used to being here. Was this his house? She hadn't seen every room in his house before... but then why was so much of her stuff here?

"Isn't Ben a little young to be getting married?" She asked, trying to dig for more information.

Kevin snorted. "So you've said before. It's not like everyone and their mom hasn't tried to tell him this, but he's stubborn as ever. I thought you'd come to terms with this thing a while ago? You know, after Julie made you a bridesmaid? Besides- you were only _eighteen_ when we got married. I know Ben's a little immature for his age... but it's kinda hypocritical to freak out about it, right?"

Ok. Now Gwen felt dizzy. She took a step backwards, her knee hitting the bed and causing her to plop down on it as she continued to blink up at Kevin in a daze.

Married!? First a vision about his horrible gruesome death and now one where they're married!? Kevin didn't look that much older... This couldn't be more than five, maybe six years in the future.

No way. This wasn't the future- if the visions showed the future, than they would directly contradict each other! Besides- there was no way she would get married so young. And marrying Kevin... well, they had only just gotten together. Sorta. Actually, she couldn't pinpoint exactly when they become a couple, but it didn't really matter. The point was that it was too weird for her to think of herself as _married_ to Kevin already.

This world was too different from her own. And yet... so very similar.

"Gwen? Seriously- you need to hurry up and get into that hideous dress Julie picked out- she's turned into bride-zilla, and if we're late I'm actually worried she'll sick Ship on us."

Gwen complied, grabbing the dress that had obviously been laid out on a chair for her (by her?) for the occasion. Kevin was right on one front- it was pretty ugly. The blue ballgown had a giant bow stuck to the butt, and the square neck and oddly placed waist-height did nothing for her thin, beanpole figure. It was the kind of dress that would make anyone look bad, and Gwen had to cluck her tongue at the fashion choice.

She got dressed in a bathroom attached to the bedroom, but was hyper-aware of the fact that Kevin was nearby, separated from her by only one door without a lock. It was nerve-wrecking to think that he might just waltz right in at any moment. That's what married people do, right? They don't worry so much about nakedness and boundaries?

Ugh. She hoped this vision would end soon. It was certainly longer than the first one, and by the time she jumped into Kevin's same green car a half-hour had passed.

"Oh, man, we are late." Kevin muttered, driving just a little too far over the speed limit for Gwen's taste.

"Relax- when does the ceremony start?"

"Not for two more hours, but you're supposed to do some... I don't know, bridesmaid stuff. Wait for the flower delivery or something. I'm not the one who's supposed to remember this stuff! That's your job!"

Gwen knew that even if this wasn't real, she'd hate to let Julie down. The whole wedding happened in a blur, and she was left feeling extremely confused as people yelled at her to sign for the flowers, direct the decorations, etc. She thought she did a pretty good job on-the-fly, and secretly hoped that one day, far far in the future, she could play bridesmaid at Ben's actual wedding. Far far far far in the future.

She grinned at the thought, imagining what she would tell Ben when she woke up back in her reality. The look on vision-Ben's face as he stood at the altar, uncomfortable in a stiff suit, was really very funny. Cute, but funny.

Ok, this vision was actually pretty fun. Certainly a step up from the last one.

"Can we go home yet? I feel like we've been here forever..." Kevin muttered at the reception, taking a big bite of cake. Ben and Julie were being swarmed by relatives, and Gwen hadn't even managed to talk to him much yet. His parents were demanding most of his time, talking and laughing with Julie and her own parents. The couple had had their first dance, and now the party was fully underway.

"Go home? This early? Kevin, that's so rude! Don't you ever think of other people's feelings?"

Kevin sighed heavily. "This was bad enough when we did it..."

Gwen glared.

Then she wondered why the hell she was glaring, since this whole situation couldn't possibly be real, and was left feeling very confused.

"Uh, not that it wasn't the best day of my life and... stuff... haha. Let's just pretend I didn't say that, ok?" Even other-world Kevin didn't like formal situations. Everyone was acting exactly as they would in reality... it was too weird.

When they did leave, after much groaning from Kevin, it was only around seven. Still, Gwen was feeling extremely tired... which further proved her theory that this wasn't a dream. But what was it?

"Look, don't be mad at me ok? It's just... being around your family and dancing and sitting around is really not my idea of a good time."

"Huh?"

"You're mad, right? You always get quiet when you're mad."

Truthfully, she had just been lost in thought. "I'm tired is all."

"Yeah, you really don't seem like yourself today. I told you you overdid it last week fighting that Emodian Faze- using that much power has to be enough to get you sick."

So, they still fought aliens, then? This world was exactly like her own... except a few years later. Oh, and early marriages were a common disease, apparently.

"That must be it." She muttered, staring out the window of the passenger seat.

When they got back to the house she took the time to get a good long look at it. Nope. It was none she had ever seen before. Kevin and her must have bought it... It was a nice place, though. Bigger than she would have thought people her age could afford, but then again Kevin always seemed to find ways to make money. She just hoped that he wasn't still some kind of underground alien weapons dealer in this vision-world.

"I'm going to go to sleep." She said as they walked into the house, kicking off her painful heels at the door.

"Alright... you need anything? Advil?"

His tone was soft, worried, and she couldn't help but pause and look back at him in wonder. It wasn't his usual tone. There was something intimate in the way his dark eyes studied her, in the slight downturn at the corners of his mouth. He was looking at her as if there was nothing more important in the world, and she was sure she could have asked him for anything and he would have given it to her.

She forced herself to break that gaze- it was just too much. This was a much more mature Kevin, despite his usual impatience and attitude. This was a man who very clearly loved her, no matter what... but it wasn't her Kevin. This was someone else, and she hated that she was deceiving him by pretending to be _his_ Gwen. She was a different Gwen.

Maybe that was the key to all of this? A different Gwen...

The world once again flashed pink, abruptly cutting off her chain of thought.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm so happy to have such nice reviewers. . I used to write more Harry Potter stuff, which has so many readers and therefore a lot of reviewers. Writing other things can be discouraging because I look at my fics in my profile and see the numbers and, well... it just looks a little sad by comparison lol. Anyways, as promised, double upload today!**

***Gwevin11: glad you mentioned that... no, no she wouldn't. So, is this really a vision of the future? You can draw your own conclusions, but just know that you and I are of the same opinion on that one. .**

***Inlovewithlove: I swore to myself that I would never post a fic until it was finished again. . You can expect regular updates from me! ^.^**

Chapter Eight: Aliens and Boys

"Alright. That... was not even close to what I was expecting."

"Tell me about it." Gwen sighed, carefully avoiding eye contact with Kevin.

Ok. It was weird. Best way to break up the weirdness-tension was to make it funny, right? "Well, the real problem here is that I'm too irresistible; you just can't stop dreaming of me, huh?"

Instead of laughing, Gwen flashed him a look of annoyance. "This is serious, Kevin. This vision... it wasn't bad like the other one, but it was far more informative."

"What do you mean? Because it was the future?"

Gwen gave him a strange look, and it took him several moments to realize what he was implying. "Except... hopefully there's no grisly death in my immediate future. And Ben getting married? Ha!"

Gwen rolled her eyes, a curious little smile gracing her lips. "It's not the future, it's not a dream, and it's not even really a "vision," per say. Kevin... I think what I'm seeing is reality. Just... not our reality."

Kevin thought about it, talking out loud as he worked through the problem. "So, it's us in the visions, but you're saying it's not us exactly. Alternate dimensions?"

"Bingo." Gwen said, aiming her hand like a gun and pointing it towards him. "Like how I was able to rip into the Null Void- somehow my powers allow me access to other worlds."

"But... you don't leave this one..." Kevin was thinking hard, now. He had heard of multiple-universe theories and parallel dimensions, of course. There was even some high-level alien tech that claimed to give one access to them, though no one could ever tell if it really opened a door to another dimension or just created the illusion of such.

But certain beings could travel between them. He had never gotten many details on this, but he knew higher life forms could see and traverse alternate parallels of existence.

And he would put money on the Anodite being one of those beings.

He explained his theories to Gwen, going through his thought process in detail. She listened quietly, and with rapt attention, looking impressed. "It's not much to go on... but that's all I've ever heard on the subject."

"It's a lot more than I had- even my magic books don't mention this. And I have a theory on the last piece of the puzzle as well."

"The part where you never leave this world?"

She nodded, gripping her chin thoughtfully and tapping at her lip with her finger. Kevin found that oddly cute...

"If I'm taking the place of myself in another world, then wouldn't it follow that she would just take the place of me in this one? There must be some sort of time difference to account for; in the first vision a half hour went by in moments, while in the second several hours went by in... how long was I out, exactly?"

"Julie called me about fifteen minutes before you woke up."

She nodded. "Ok, so some time is spent on the inter-dimensional travel..."

"Which only affects the other you, who is pulled into our world. You're the one doing the pulling, so your travel is faster. This means that by the time the other you gets to this world, it's already nearly time for her to get back."

Gwen's eyebrows rose. "You know, you're really impressing me here. I think all Ben would have said is, 'Huh?'"

Kevin grinned. "Hey, when it comes to strange alien stuff, I can keep up on the technical details. In any case, those details don't matter. If you're being physically dragged into another world, then you could get seriously hurt. What if you hadn't healed that first time? Would you have come back here..." Kevin wasn't sure he could even say the words, so he just finished lamely with, "...hurt?"

Gwen gulped, her eyes losing focus, no doubt remembering her wounds. She nodded. "Yes. I'm sure of it. I knew it felt real..." She shivered, rubbing at her arms and hissing through her teeth. "We've got to fix this. I have to figure out how to stop. I... it's not just about me getting hurt. I don't think I can stand much more of this, knowing that on some level, it truly is all real. Knowing that in some other world... I really did see you, and Ben... you two really did die. Knowing that I failed to protect you." She leaned forward heavily on her arms, her elbow's braced on her knee's. Her hair hung forward, obscuring her face. "I really can't, Kevin."

"Don't panic. It was a whole week in between the two- you probably have a while left until it happens again. We have to grab Ben and get our think-tank together here."

Gwen laughed dryly, the sound very forced behind the shiny red curtain of hair. "Ben's part of the 'think-tank?'"

Kevin didn't answer, instead choosing to place a hand awkwardly in the middle of Gwen's back to offer some ounce of comfort. He really wasn't good at this. He patted her back, feeling like an idiot.

She looked up, meeting his eyes. She just looked... tired. Very tired. There were dark circles forming under her eyes, and he reminded himself that she had been awake for a long time in another dimension. "Thanks." She muttered, leaning into his fumbling touch.

He started to rub, instead, forming small circles with his hand on the small of her back. She made a soft groaning noise and tipped herself closer to him, leaning her head against his shoulder.

Footsteps. Someone was quickly approaching the door. Kevin's hand froze and Gwen's eyes sprang open wide. She had just managed to say "Oh-" when the door opened up, both of her parents standing in the door frame. Her mother stood behind her father, a frightened expression on her face, while Kevin couldn't help but notice the baseball bat clutched in her father's fist.

"Uh... hello, Mr. Tennyson." He managed as Gwen flung herself apart from him as far as the bed would allow without her toppling over.

Gwen's mom clutched her hand over her heart, breathing a heavy sigh of relief. "Oh God. Kevin. It's not a burgler- it's just Kevin dear." She said, pulling at Mr. Tennyson's sleeve.

"Uh, huh." he answered her. Once again, Kevin couldn't help but notice that he didn't put down the baseball bat. Huh. Probably time to leave...

"We heard noises, and we looked all over the house! I thought it was coming from downstairs- your room was one of the last one's we checked." Her mother explained, still looking extremely relieved to not find a knife-wielding burgler or lazer-wielding alien monster in her house.

"Er, hi." Said a small voice from behind the Tennyson's, and they both jumped, looking back at the small girl standing behind them. Julie waved lamely.

"Oh, Julie dear. You're here too?" her mother said.

"Well, it's just a regular party in here, isn't it?" her father muttered, eying Kevin as a twitch began in his left eyebrow.

"Julie was going to spend the night, remember mom? She just arrived kind of late... Alien business. In fact, this..." She indicated to Kevin the back to herself. "This was alien business too. Uh, you know. In case you were wondering. Totally professional."

"It's true." Julie piped up, coming valiantly to their defense. "Kevin was helping Gwen with a problem we've been working on."

The twitch in her father's eyebrow quickened, and Kevin swore could almost hear the man thinking: 'Alone?'

Taking in the situation, Gwen's mother pursed her lips, placing one hand on her cheek and the other arm around her waist. Her finger tapped at her lips, and Kevin decided it was not nearly as cute on the older woman. "Gwendolyn- you are supposed to be grounded. Do you not know what that means? I believe I explained it to you as clear as possible: No boys."

"Yes mom." She muttered, avoiding her parent's eyes and tapping her fingers against each other on her lap in a nervous jerking motion.

"This was an emergency. Uh... I'm sorry, I guess I should have knocked or something. Um... I think I'm going to go now..."

"I think that would be a good idea." Mrs. Tennyson said, her tone cheerful but her eyes darting over to her husband, a hint of panic glinting in them.

And so he did the safest thing he could possibly do: He bailed, escaping the house as fast as he could without looking like he was running away.

…

At least Julie stayed with her. Ugh! How could she have been so stupid? She should have saved her story for another day and told Kevin to get out of there right away! If it wasn't for Julie vouching for her, she was sure one of her parents would have exploded by now. They were both clearly trying to find some way to express their anger, but were unable to get past her alibi.

"Alien Business" covered a lot of gray areas, and she was generally allowed to do whatever she needed to in order to protect the Universe. That was kinda the unspoken agreement between her and her parents.

Julie plopped down on the bed next to her in a show of solidarity, and Gwen had to smile. The girl was brave.

"Unacceptable! Just... just..."

"Gwen, I can't believe you would directly disobey me..."

"I called him." Julie volunteered, actually raising her hand to speak. "It really was an emergency, and I didn't know how to deal with it."

"Well? Are you going to fill us in on this 'emergency,' then?" Her mother said, her fingers forming the quotation marks to frame her sarcasm.

"Uh... it's complicated..." Gwen managed dumbly. Tell her parents she's being sent to alternate dimensions, where she's either almost killed or married young to the guy they were beginning to hate? Hm. Probably not a great plan.

"Well, complicated or not you should wake us up next time. Or call Ben."

Gwen was starting to get frustrated with her parents tone. They weren't even doing anything wrong; she had nothing to feel guilty about! "What's the big deal!? You guys know Kevin- he's here all the time. Or I'm at his place. Or Ben's. The three of us are a team... plus Julie, of course." She said, nodding to the girl. She was part of the team, afterall, what with her recent "substitute-Gwen-ing." Julie grinned in response.

"You know why this is different." Her mom said firmly. "Or do I have to repeat our little talk in front of your friend, here?" Julie cringed, and Gwen shrank back into a mortified sulk. Crap. Her parents really did know how to win just about any argument. Her mom sighed heavily, uncrossing her arms and letting them hang loosely. "But... I'm not a total dictator, Gwen. I just don't like you sneaking around with boys..."

"Only one boy, as far as I know..." Julie whispered, her eyes crinkled and sliding to Gwen. The girl was actually finding humor in this?

"... or lying."

"I'm not lying!"

"Which is why we're going to drop this conversation and go to bed. Come on, honey." Her mother said mercifully, pulling at her dads arm. Gwen swore she heard her dad whisper something about a "no good delinquent boy stealing away my princess..."

"Thanks Julie..." Gwen said, sighing heavily as she let herself fall back into the bed in relief.

"No problem- I just told the truth. I think. I did miss out on a good twenty minutes at the end there..."

"We were just talking..."

"And you know what mischief teens can get into in twenty minutes..."

"Julie!"

The girl laughed, her eyes still crinkled with mirth. "Well, I can't help it! With all the heavy stuff that goes on with you guys: near-death experiences, murderous warlord aliens, the occasional human baddie, and slushy brain freezes- I just can't take this seriously. You and Kevin messing around? Really not high on the priority list for 'stuff to freak out over.'"

Gwen cringed. "Yeah, but my parents don't know the half of the dangerous stuff we do. Besides, we were not 'messing around.' He's only recently become my boyfriend... I think... I'm not entirely clear on that detail..."

"Well, you need to become clear on it. Ask him out on a date!"

"Oh, no. We've been through that already. It wound's Kevin's manly pride."

Julie rolled her eyes in response.

"Besides, every time we plan anything- anything at all- something bad happens. Alien Business. Always."

"All work and no play..." Julie said with a sigh. "Then how, exactly, does Ben always find time to watch TV?"

"Easy: he's late. A lot."

The two laughed together at that, and the conversation turned instantly light. They chatted about school, about tennis, about books... anything other than aliens and boys.


	9. Chapter 9

**You know what? I can freely admit that this is not my favorite chapter, so…. Just this once, triple upload! . Reviews are always welcome…**

Chapter Nine: Death Tax

"I know! He's the greatest singer ever, and he has a great butt!"

"Ha! I can't even believe you just said that! Do you really think we can get tickets?"

"You weren't grounded again, were you?"

"No."

"Then I have tickets!" Julie announced, producing two small pieces of purple paper from her back pocket. "I won them calling into a radio station yesterday! I was going to _burst_ if I kept it quiet any longer!" Both girls proceeded to squeal in the most immature way possible, erupting into giggles and continued discussions of their favorite music star's butt.

"You know what, Ben?" Kevin asked, slurping on his nasty yellow slushy.

"Yeah, Kevin?"

"I think leaving them alone together for too long may have been a bad plan."

"Maybe."

The two girls had bonded instantly after the sleepover. Beforehand, the two had always seemed to get along... but now they had reverted to constant clucking about various, um, girly things. It was almost more than Kevin could stand, and he kinda missed the days of their alien discussions and slushy arguments.

"Ugh..." He leaned backwards on the bench, his head dipping backwards to hit the table. "Can we just go home if we're not going to talk about anything important? My car could use a tune up and a few upgrades..."

Gwen ignored him, her attention glued to Julie. "So, this Saturday then? We're actually going to see Sven live in all his leather-pant and long-hair glory?"

"You know it!"

"Wait... you two were talking about Sven?" Ben asked incredulously, his eyebrows raising. "As in, Sven of 'Death Tax?' One of the best rock bands of all time?"

Julie put a hand on her hip. "You know, Ben, if you just listened more you would have known that right away. I got two tickets!"

"Why didn't you ask me!?"

"Oh... um.. well, Gwen and I were talking the other night about how much we both liked the band, so..."

Ben kicked a rock in the parking lot. "Aw, man..."

Gwen smirked, hiding her mouth behind her hand to hide it. "Ben, it's fine. You two should go."

"Are you sure?" Julie asked, obviously battling between her girly need to shriek about how hot the lead singer was and her wish for a date with Ben. It was one or the other; she probably should avoid doing both.

"I'm sure. Besides- I can just pay-per-view the concert at home."

Kevin knew there was an opportunity here. He just had to work up the courage...

"Wanna watch it with me, Kevin? You seemed to know what the band is."

"I like Death Tax. So... sure. Not as good as actually going, but..." He said, shrugging and pretending he didn't really care. Ok, he had been too slow on the up-take and she had asked him first. He answered without even worrying about who asked who, though- he just couldn't say no to Gwen anymore, manly pride be damned.

As he noted before, he was too far gone at this point.

"Great." Gwen said, looking vaguely surprised. She smiled at him gradually, and even though he hoped to look cool and nonchalant about the whole thing he found he couldn't stop himself from smiling back.

…

Maybe he hadn't thought this completely through. Kevin was wondering if he should just abandon ship and run as he knocked on Gwen's door, only to have her father answer.

"Uh, hello Mr. Tennyson. Is Gwen...?"

"She's upstairs," he said, giving Kevin a stern appraising look. "She'll be down in a minute- come on in."

Kevin had always gotten along with both Ben and Gwen's parents fairly well... but obviously certain things had changed. Somehow, with Gwen lying on the phone just once, Kevin had become the bad guy in the scenario. How the hell had that happened?

Kevin shot one look upstairs, which Mr. Tennyson followed with sharp eyes. "You can wait right here. On the couch. There." He pointed, as if his reiterating wasn't perfectly obvious.

"Uh... sure..."

"Frank!" Mrs. Tennyson yelled, poking her head in through the door to the living room, presumably from the kitchen. She motioned with her finger for him to follow her, her lips set in a tight line as if she were angry. She put an arm around his shoulders, leading/pushing the man in the kitchen and talking in a quick, low voice. Kevin could only make out bits and pieces, especially when the kitchen door swung shut behind him.

"Stop harassing... they're old enough to know... you're the one who's acting like a child!"

"Punk kid... Gwen never lied before... ok, about the magic powers..."

"Er, hi."

Kevin spun around where he had been standing in front of the couch, contemplating just leaving. When he saw Gwen, however, he sucked in a quick breath and found himself unable to form words.

She wasn't dressed up, exactly, but he saw her enough to know the clothes were new. She was wearing her hair down, something she rarely did, and it appeared as though she had taken the time to curl the ends...

She grabbed one of her ruby locks. "It looks dumb, right? Like I'm trying too hard..." She rubbed her hands on her arms, as if uncomfortable in her own skin.

"What?" Kevin could barely even register what the girl had said. He was far too busy admiring the way her new top showed off just a little more skin than her usual one's, and how her jeans were tight and showed off every little dip and curve of her long legs... He looked up and met her eyes, which were currently giving him a curious, appraising look. Gwen had one eyebrow up, clearly wondering what to think of his dumbstruck attitude.

"Is my father scaring you? Mom's warned him to just stay in the den downstairs... we have a finished basement, and that's where his office is..." She sighed. "But I'm guessing he wouldn't pass up an opportunity to threaten you..."

Kevin snickered. "No threatening. And anyways, I think I could take him."

Gwen smiled and came down the rest of the stairs, plopping down on the leather sofa. "For some reason, my mom seemed thrilled that you were coming over. I should warn you- you're expected to stay for dinner."

Kevin groaned.

"I know. I'm sorry. But please... make this easier on me by staying?"

Kevin would have liked to say no- he didn't need this. Their first (so far) successful date, and he was going to have to spend it under the scrutinous eye of her parents? "Can't we just go grab something at the burger place? We have a while until the show..."

"Trust me. I'd love to. But my mom isn't going to let me off the hook for this one."

"And you're not going to let me off, either, huh?"

Gwen blinked at him, a strange little smirk creeping on her face. "No. No I am not."

And so he sat down next to her, the television set on the Pay-per-view station. Gwen flicked through the channels, trying to find something to watch while they waited.

"Ok, kids!" Mrs. Tennyson called, walking into the room with a large plate of various cheeses and meats. "I have snacks for your show, and I'll be bringing out some burgers I'm making in a few minutes." Gwen stared at her mom with wide eyes, her mouth hanging open.

"Mom, that's a lot of food..."

"Perfect!" Kevin said, grabbing some stuff off the cheese plate and shoving it in his mouth. "Thanks Mrs. Tennyson." He added, the picture of politeness.

Gwen placed her head carefully in her hand, rubbing her forehead. Her mother just smiled. "I know boys your age can eat a lot! Gwen's brother used to clean out our fridge on a daily basis- anyways, I won't bother you two too much." She was sounding much too happy about the whole thing, grinning at Gwen before walking out of the room.

"What? She brought it out for us to eat." Kevin defended after getting a look from Gwen.

"Yes. Yes she did. And now half of it is gone."

"Well, I'm hungry."

Gwen tilted her head to the side in thought. "My mom is being unusually cool about this..."

"Surprise surprise. She prefers it when I come over announced, rather than busting through the door."

"Yeah, well-"

Pink light blinded her.

That was really getting old.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten: Another Gwen

"Again? This soon?" Gwen muttered, hardly daring to open her eyes. She was standing somewhere, her eyes clamped together tightly. The air around her smelled musty and old, and a flickering light filtered in through her eyelids.

She peeked open her eyes slowly, holding her breath. Very near her head was a torch, the flame lapping at the stone wall it was attached to. Gwen stepped back, batting at her hair in case it had caught fire.

Phew. Good thing she opened her eyes.

She was incredibly aware of the fact that if she got hurt in this world, the consequences would affect her in a very real way. This was reality. She had to play it safe during her time here... maybe she should just find a quiet hole to hide in?

"Gwen." A familiar voice said, and she closed her eyes again with a groan. Maybe Kevin had gotten that right: She always did seem to dream of him. Er, teleport to him. Whatever.

She turned around, setting her face in a casual smile. She should just play her part, and wait to be sent home. "Hey Kev-" Her voice caught in her throat, her hand frozen by her head where she had been about to wave it.

This was not Kevin. Not Kevin like she knew, anyways. The Kevin standing in front of her was made of stone, something he did often... but there were pink lines of Mana running through it, coating him in a pattern of controlling power.

Like Charmcastor's golems.

Gwen gasped, pressing her back to the stone wall as she stepped backwards. "Are you... Kevin?" She whispered.

"Of course. We captured the prisoner, as you ordered. He's in the lower chamber." The stiff stone Kevin answered, his tone flat.

Gwen's mouth felt dry, like it were lined with cotton, as she struggled for words. "I... yeah... good... job?"

"What should we do now, master?" Stone-Kevin asked, suddenly kneeling down in a knightly bow. Gwen was feeling very uncomfortable with this whole situation, and a lump began forming in her stomach as she looked down at the Kevin-not-Kevin.

Gwen said the first thing that came to her mind. "T... Take me to him." She knew it was better to just be safe and wait... but she couldn't help her curiosity. She was intrigued and terrified, all at the same time, to find out exactly what she was "master" of, and who she had ordered captured. Maybe in this world she was a Queen?

But why was there a Kevin-shaped Golem at her feet? It was too creepy...

"Right away." Stone-Kevin said, standing up and turning around, leading the way down the torch-lit hallway.

Gwen followed, careful not to trip on the hem of her long black gown. The dress sort of lent credibility to her "Queen" theory, except that she couldn't imagine herself wearing the black-leather corset in any dimension. She was tempted to cover her chest with her arms as she studied her clothing- there was a lot of cleavage showing. She wasn't exactly stacked, but what she had was certainly raised and on display in the tight bodice. She forced herself to just walk confidently. If she walked around with her hands on her boobs, would it look suspicious? Most likely.

Gwen reached up, feeling the weight of something on her head. Yep. There was a crown. She peeled it off, studying it with a frown.

It was also black, very pointy and sharp, with small pink gems set in it. Perplexed, she set it back on her head.

Honestly, she wasn't dressed like a real Queen. She looked more like a...

"Oh, crap I'm a super villain." She muttered quickly, unable to keep the sentiment to herself. She slapped a hand loudly against her mouth, but Rock-Kevin didn't even look back- he just kept walking, leading her down a long winding staircase. The steps were narrow, and there was no railing... it was actually a really scary climb, and Gwen wondered if this world's version of her ever fell down the steps.

She really didn't have a lot of proof to her super-villain theory: just a bad feeling, a sexy-scary outfit, a spooky castle, and what she was beginning to suspect was actually an enslaved Kevin. Hmm... actually, she had a lot of proof, huh?

'If I'm evil... then who did I have thrown in my dungeon?' Gwen thought, the lump in her stomach growing bigger. This wasn't her world... but for some reason she wanted to help. She had to do something- anything.

Poor Kevin.

That's when she began to hear the screams...

…

"Gwen? Gwen!?" Kevin yelled as the girl slumped over onto him, her body limp. He grabbed her shoulders, raising her up. Her head lolled around like a ragdoll, and he decided it was probably better to lie her down on the couch.

"What's wrong?" Mrs. Tennysen asked, coming into the room with oven mitts still on both hands.

"It's Gwen- I need to call Ben." Kevin said in a strong, sure, and only slightly frightened voice. "We can't let this go on anymore..."

"Gwen!" Her mother cried, running over to the couch and putting a hand on the unconscious girl's forehead, feeling for a fever. "What is it? What happened?"

"Something we've been dealing with for a little while. Don't worry- Ben and I won't let anything happen to her." He gave Mrs. Tennyson a weak smile as he waited for Ben to pick up. The ringing went on for far too long, and he was quickly becoming frustrated. "Pick it up Ben..." He muttered to himself.

"I... I know you two take good care of her... but how do you know this isn't something serious and medical? We need to get her to the doctor- FRANK!" She called for her husband, and Kevin pinched the bridge of his nose. Just what they needed.

"Trust me- we know alien powers when we see them. However, if you have some way to contact her grandmother..."

Mrs. Tennyson's lips drew tight, her eyes narrowing. "Did Verdona do this to her? Does she have something to do with this? Frank!" She yelled again, her tone screeching and furious.

"What!? What's happening!?" Mr. Tennyson asked, bursting into the room.

Kevin sighed, Ben's voicemail picking up.

"Hi, you've reached Ben's phone! I'm probably out with my friends doing totally normal teenager-stuff, so leave a message after the..." Kevin hung up, pushing the button so hard it stayed punched down. "Great..."

Gwen's parents were trying to wake her, now, her father shaking her shoulders slightly. "That won't work yet..." Kevin said, eating his words as Gwen's eyes suddenly flew open. "... Or maybe it will."

Gwen sat up quickly, pushing her father off her with a swipe of her arm. Her eyes were burning pink, and she suddenly flew- literally- into the air above the couch.

"What power dares to call me here!?" She asked, her voice slithery; raspy and course. "Who dares call upon Gwendolyn, conqueror of six worlds!?"

"Oh. Damn." Kevin managed as Gwen's parents cowered off to the side of the room, Mr. Tennyson holding out an arm protectively in front of his wife.

Gwen's eyes narrowed down at him. "Kevin Levin." She hissed, a terrible smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. Her smile was just a little too wide in her face, and as she spoke Kevin realized her teeth were set in a sharp row of shark-like points.

Not. Gwen.

"My most loyal puppet... how did the famous Ben 10 manage to free you? I sent you to capture him... how disappointing." She shrugged, a ball of pink energy forming around her right fist. "Oh, well. It is a waste, but I suppose I was growing tired of you anyways. You were fun at first... but I do not accept failure of any sort from my subjects."

"Run!" Kevin yelled to Gwen's parents as he touched the first thing within reach- a lamp. As the matter coated him, he could feel it's weak properties... "Brass!?" He cried, just as the energy ball smacked him straight in his chest.

…

Gwen ran past Rock-Kevin, holding up her dress as she huffed down the dank low-ceilinged hallway. The sound was horrible, ear-splitting and full of pure agony. It was a scream born of an incredible pain- someone was being tortured.

And as she realized she knew exactly who it was making the sound, the stone in her stomach became a full-out boulder.

She flung her power at the wooden cellar door, behind which the screaming continued. The door burst, reduced to splinters, and Gwen ran in, her power ready at her fists.

No one attacked her. Just the opposite. There were five large golems along the sides of the room, pink Mana coursing through their bodies, and a group of human's standing near the victim of their torture. Every single one of them bowed low, their eyes pointed respectfully down at the stone floor as she walked into the room. They all wore identical black robes with a pink symbol running down the front.

"Master Gwendolyn. Conqueror of six worlds. Light and power of our world."

Gwen powered down, her face still holding onto it's furious glare. "Let. Him. GO!" She screamed, and the six humans flinched, bowing even lower.

"We are sorry, Master! We tried to remove it- we can't! We can't even remove his arm- the omnitrix set's itself to self-destruct every time we try!"

Indeed, Ben's arm was a canvas of deep cuts, bleeding freely all over the table he was strapped down to. His breathing was labored, his clothing ripped and torn from the other lacerations that had been cut into his body. One woman, bowing so low her forehead scrapped the floor, was holding a knife dripping with blood. Ben's blood.

"With your permission, we will finish him off and see if that will remove the omnitrix..."

"That's not what I asked! I told you to set him free!"

The minions shot each other panicked looks. "Master- if you mean to punish us do not make us suffer the humiliation of being defeated by the lowly and defiant Ben 10! Do not bring such risk upon yourself, either!"

Ok. They wanted Evil Gwen? They would get Evil Gwen.

"You presume to tell me, Gwendolyn Tennyson, conqueror of seven-"

"Six..." One minion said, clamping a hand on his mouth as he realized he had just corrected his master.

"- worlds..." She glared at the man, power materializing once again at her fists and eyes, "... what to do? I do as I please! I will take care of your punishment later! Leave me! I wish to finish off this prisoner myself." She put as much malice and disgust as possible into her words, hoping her acting was good enough to get everyone the _hell_ out of the room.

They obeyed her almost instantly, bowing and scraping as they exited. Only the golems remained, standing sentinel at their posts.

The moment she was alone she ran forward. "Ben? Oh, Ben!" She swiped at the metal clamps around his limbs with her power, snapping them instantly and setting him free. "Can you hear me? Can you walk?"

That was a stupid question- he was so cut up... he had lost a lot of blood, as evidenced by the sticky pools coating the floor at her feet.

She gulped, fearing the worst.

When he groaned, finally opening his eyes, a wave of relief rushed over her. As his eyes grew wider, Gwen could see the fear- and hatred- shining in them.

"Gwen..." he said through clenched teeth. He hissed as he raised one hand, his wounds shifting with his movement. "I won't forgive you... not... ever..." his hand moved closer to the omnitrix: Slowly, weakly.

Gwen reached over, touching his hand softly and forcing him to stop. "Not now, Ben. I'm..." She made a split-second decision, gulping, "I'm not the Gwen you know. I'm from another world."

Ben laughed, gurgling a little at the end as blood pooled in his mouth and dribbled down his chin. "Nice try..."

"What would I have to gain by lying? I..." Gwen could feel the tears, now, prickling in the corners of her eyes. She couldn't stand seeing her cousin hurt so bad... this was like the first dream, only a hundred times worse because it was all her fault... "I would never hurt you Ben. P... please believe me, at least long enough for me to get you out of here?"

"I won't give you... the omnitrix." Ben wheezed. "I can't let you take it... no matter what... you do to me."

"I don't want it! I can't make you give it up- you literally have nothing to lose by trusting me..."

Ben laughed again, and the sound was every bit as terrible as the first time. "Right. Just my... sanity. I... won't."

"Ben..." She brought his hand to her face, her tears falling onto the blood-covered thing.

"Master? What would you have me do?"

Gwen turned, Ben's hand forgotten. "Kevin... you, too. I have to free you too." She wondered what his reaction would be- would he attack her? Try to kill her? She didn't blame him... what kind of horrible things had she forced him to do? What had she made him do to Ben?

She reached out with her power, concentrating hard. Yes. Now that she was looking for it, she could feel her own magical signature, searing across and penetrating through his stone body. She could feel it, encasing something inside him that was screaming for release.

It was like a string wound tight around her finger, and without waiting another moment she just let it go.

The result was almost instantaneous. The pink sank off his body, and Kevin took in a deep, gasping breath of air.

"Kevin..." Gwen whispered, just as a ripping pain tore into her back. She looked down, in an almost detached manner, as her body began to grow numb. A long shard of crystal jutted out of her middle, shoved into her back by whatever transformation Ben had taken on when her attention had shifted to Kevin. She hadn't even heard him transform, she had been so absorbed in Kevin. His wounds should have healed when he transformed though, right? He might draw more attention to himself this way, but at least he wouldn't bleed to death. Maybe between him and Kevin they could be smart about their escape and make it past all her creepy knife-wielding minions.

She thought of all this as she gazed straight ahead at Kevin, his face breaking quickly into a horrified, wide-eyed expression. He dropped his stone skin- probably for the first time in years- and ran forward.

Gwen couldn't feel anything anymore, not even fear, but she did notice she was beginning to fall forward. Kevin caught her just before she hit the ground, his strong arm wrapping around her waist and jarring the shard running through her.

That's ok. It didn't hurt anyways.

She knew there was something she should do... use her Mana for something... didn't she heal herself before? How had she done that... the memory was fading into dust as her attention drew elsewhere.

She struggled to hear the words Kevin was saying, but they sounded like they were coming from far away, down a long dark tunnel...

"I could _feel_ her, Ben! Her Mana... it was different. It was brighter and... and... it was like it used to be. Back in the old days..."

Kevin turned her so she was facing up, and she saw the two boys who meant so much to her, their faces silhouetted by a bright light that was set above the operating table Ben had been placed on. A bright light like that didn't fit the castle atmosphere... how strange. Ben was back to his human form.

"Gwen?" Kevin asked, and she was sad to see his face so... cracked. Not like stone cracked. Just... sad-cracked. For example, his eyes were leaking, and she had certainly never seen _that_ before. His eyebrows were set so... and his mouth was...

She was tired, but she knew there was something important, something she had to tell them both before she went to sleep.

What was it?

Something about her... not being her... "When I wake up... run away..." She managed to say, sure for some reason that this was what she was supposed to say.

Then the world went black.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! But… like I said, any day I get at least 3 reviews will be a double upload day (hint hint). . Maybe tomorrow? (hint hint)

Chapter Eleven: Stomach Pains

Kevin's phone was ringing, but he was definitely too busy to bother picking it up off the floor. He had placed it on the coffee table... but the coffee table no longer existed, reduced to dust by a wave of Gwen's power. That same power smacked into him, sending him flying through the drywall and straight into the room beyond- the attached garage. The useless metal he had absorbed flaked off of him, and as he lay on the concrete floor he knew his back was probably coated in a huge bruise. He was going to see that one in the morning- if he lived, of course.

He couldn't fight Gwen, could he? Not just because he couldn't imagine hitting her... but because he knew just how powerful she could be. He _literally_ could not fight her and live, not if this Gwen had access to her full powers. Kevin had to guess that as a "Conqueror of six worlds," she did.

He stood up as fast as his aching body allowed; checking himself over quickly to make sure nothing was broken.

He was lucky this time.

He reached out, touching the Tennyson's car and absorbing it's metal. "Alright, Gwen. Come and get me." She was floating through the hole she had created, her face cut with a sharp and terrifying grin. He knew he had to at least lead her away from the Tennyson's- maybe buy some time until she was transported back to whatever hell she had come from.

Gwen. His Gwen was in that hell.

Kevin could only pray that she could take care of herself as he began to run, tearing towards his car as the Evil Gwen followed.

…

Gwen felt like she was floating. No, spinning. Floating and spinning.

Ugh.

Her head was pounding, a steady beat leading to what she could only assume would be a massive explosion in her brain. Her memories where fuzzy, and for the life of her she couldn't remember what she had done to deserve this massive migraine. Did she overdo it on her power usage? What was the last thing she remembered...?

Kevin. She remembered his face, gazing down at her as a halo of light framed his form.

She sat up quickly, gasping as she remembered exactly where she was. She immediately regretted her hasty action, hissing as she grabbed her stomach, a sharp pain stabbing at her middle.

"Don't move!"

Gwen was feeling extremely disoriented at this point, but after the painful reminder that she had been _stabbed,_ she took the advice and laid back down. How had she survived that? And was she still in that other world, or were the Kevin, Ben, and Julie looking down at her now her real friends?

"The worst of her wounds are healed." Julie said, frowning. "The tech we swiped was enough to repair most of the damage to the muscle-tissue and internal organs... but it's still going to hurt her. She needs to rest and let her body get used to the new tissue the Cyberian Repair Web grafted on. Not to mention the blood-loss..." The girl sighed, a hand to her forehead. "I'm doing the best I can here, Kevin. I'm not a doctor. I'm still not sure why we're helping _her_."

Now that Gwen looked... the space between where her friends were casting anxious looks at her was kinda fuzzy. There was clearly some kind of wall blocking her off- so she must still be in the Evil-Gwen world. They were saving her, but they were being cautious about it.

"Because Kevin here seems to believe some story she fed me about not being the same Gwen we've all gotten to know so well over the past couple years." Ben said, glaring down at her with his arms crossed over his chest. "Of course, we have no way of knowing how much mind-control she still has over him..."

"I told you! She. Let. Me. Go." Kevin gritted out through his teeth, shoving his hands in his pockets as if to forcefully stop them from grabbing Ben and shaking him. "And her Mana... remember? Remember how I've been literally filled with the stuff for two years now? Well, the stuff she used to release me was way different. I'm the resident expert on the subject now."

Julie narrowed her eyes down at Gwen. "I hate to say it, Kevin, but this was very stupid of you. How can you forgive her after what she's done to you..." Julie shifted, and Gwen found it hard for her still-throbbing brain to make sense of what she saw. It looked as if the left side of Julie's face were grey. Metallic. Maybe in this world she was an Osmosian like Kevin? But where was her eye...?

"Because it's not her! Not the same her! I just know it, ok?"

"We should have just left her." Ben muttered coldly, his face tight with stress. He looked at her, and she saw something completely alien in her cousin's eyes: murder. He _hated_ her. "She should have just died."

Gwen's blood ran cold at the look on her cousin's face. She knew his words weren't really directed at her... but they still hurt.

"I..." Gwen coughed, trying to speak. "You are all in danger. Listen..."

"We don't need to listen to more of your lies. Just be glad you're not dead and shut up. You lost. Leave it at that." Ben snapped.

Julie reached behind her, pushing a button on a large pod standing against the wall. The prison wall Gwen could barely see suddenly went black, plunging her in darkness and silence.

She was really trapped, now.

But at least she was alive. She couldn't believe her luck- how long had she been out? How long did it take to repair a giant hole in a human being, and how had they gotten her to help so quickly?

Most importantly, what would they do when she switched back with Evil-Gwen?

…

Kevin was amazed he had managed to get in the car and tear down the street before she reached him. It was a close call, and he could see her gaining on him in the rearview mirror, her face still set in that toothy grin.

How had this happened? The versions of herself that appeared here didn't wake up, right? Or at the very least were only here briefly... Maybe this Gwen was just too powerful to be subdued by Gwen's alternate dimension spell mishap?

The sun had long since set, the days shorter in the middle of the winter, but Kevin could still make out a faint dark shape on the horizon, coming closer. It was silhouetted by the moon, now, and it looked a lot like...

"Jetray." Kevin said with a sigh of relief. Together, him and Ben could try to capture Gwen until the switch happened. The flying alien zipped down a few blocks away, and Kevin watched in extreme annoyance as Ben smacked the omnitrix on his chest, transforming back to his usual self. With a manic screech of tires Kevin pulled to the side in an impressive half-circle gliding movement, leaving skid marks all over the road. His poor car was going to need new tires soon after that stunt. This move left them facing the threat currently barreling towards them at break-neck speed through the air. It also left the passenger door right in front of Ben.

"Hurry!" Kevin yelled, reaching across the car to fling open Ben's door. With a confused look at the pink ball of energy flying towards him Ben complied, leaping into the car. The energy hit the sidewalk where he had just stood, scorching the ground and leaving it smoking.

Without waiting for Ben to even shut the door Kevin hit the gas, hurtling the car straight at Gwen. She easily leapt a few feet further into the air, avoiding the vehicle as Kevin continued to tear out of there as fast as possible. "We need to find someplace safe to face her." Kevin yelled. "Somewhere where she won't hurt people."

"What? Gwen?"

"No- not our Gwen."

"Oh... crap."

"Tell me about it!" Kevin yelled, noticing that once again the girl was gaining on them in the rearview mirror. He cut the wheel sharp, zooming around a tight corner.

"Is she powerful?" Ben asked, all business and he searched through his omnitrix for the right alien.

"She announced herself as the 'conqueror of six worlds,' then blew a hole in her family's garage. So... yes."

Finally- civilization was beginning to dissolve into a much more sparse desert landscape. Just in time, too... He heard the loud thump as Gwen landed on the roof of the car, followed by the grinding sound of metal tearing as the roof was peeled back and thrown to the road.

"Oh, maaan..."

He pulled over roughly, shoving the car into a ditch but managing to throw off the pissed-off energy being.

"If we hurt her... do we hurt Gwen?" Ben yelled, jumping out of the car and smacking the omnitrix.

"Doesn't work that way... we think. Don't you ever listen?"

"I'm listening now!" Ben protested, now fully set as Big Chill.

"Insolence! Do not speak about me as if I were not here, Ben 10!" She smirked, cruelly. "I would think you would be paying very close attention to this battle, after last time... where is your little girlfriend, anyways? Should I take the other half of her not-so-pretty face this time?"

"Ok, I think we need to end this." Ben said in his hissing, dry Big Chill voice.

"Yeah, no kidding." Kevin said, forming his fist into a large hammer as he ran at Gwen.

She dodged him easily, throwing up a shield to block Ben's icy air as it blew towards her. "It's no use- I know all your moves boys. How many times have we done this? And Kevin dear... you know you were never very good at fighting me. Your heart-" she flung a huge arcing wave of energy at him, slamming home into his body and knocking him over like he were a plastic toy, "- was never in it."

Her shield hadn't even cracked with Ben's attack, his icy air shifting past Gwen harmlessly. She pushed the large block forward, slamming it into Ben's flying form. "To be honest, Kevin, I rather thought you enjoyed being my puppet. I treated you well... and I think we had a lot of fun, keeping each other company?" She smirked, and Kevin wasn't too sure he liked whatever hidden meaning was tucked into those words. "I can forgive you, my pet, my only lover, if you come back to me now. Come here, and let me fill you once more with my power..."

Whoosh!

Ben flew at her, his body going incorporeal just as Gwen flung up another shield. He fazed through the shield, catching Gwen by surprise and slamming into her with enough force to drop her floating body a few more feet near the ground. Kevin used this opportunity to jump up, grabbing at her leg and using his heavy metal body to pull her to the ground with him. He wrestled with her a moment, trapping her arms to her sides just as her eyes began to glow. Big Chill let out another wave of ice, coating Gwen and half of Kevin as he stood there holding her.

"How long until we get the real Gwen back?" Ben asked. Kevin groaned, unable to move most of his mouth with ice coating half his head. "Oh, right... sorry..."

…

Gwen wasn't sure how long she was in the dark. She guessed she must have fallen asleep at some point, but it was hard to keep track.

Her stomach still hurt, and she felt it gingerly under the thin gown her "doctor" Julie had put on her. Her middle was all wrapped up with bandages, tender but not unbearable. She was thinking that she could try to stand up, maybe knock on the wall... she really needed everyone to understand what she was trying to say. When she switched back to her own world, they would get back their original Gwen. And that girl sounded dangerous.

Suddenly, blinding Gwen, the light came back on in a flash. Her cage had become clear again, and she blinked as her eyes tried hard to get used to the abrupt lighting. There was only one figure standing in front of her, pressing buttons on the tubular object connected to the wall.

Kevin.

"I need to tell you..."

Kevin whirled around, placing a finger at his lips to signal she should be quiet. She snapped her mouth shut, her eyes wide. What was he doing?

The wall around her shifted- just slightly- as if it were a television having the channel switched. Everything looked the same... but the blink had left it glowing a vague blue color.

Kevin walked through it easily, coming to the side of the horizontal, open pod she was sleeping in. "Alright. Now you can talk- no one can hear or see me on the moniters this way. Tell me- who are you?"

"I'm not the Gwen you guys have here..."

"Obviously." Kevin muttered, annoyed. "But then where is she? Did you destroy her? Are you a shapeshifter of some sort?"

She shook her head. "That's the problem. Kevin..." Without thinking about it she grabbed his sleeve, tugging him close. Speaking hurt her stomach, as if she had just done about a thousand sit-ups. "She's going to come back. I switched places with her, but it's only temporary. She'll replace me- and I don't know when. It could be any moment. You need to make sure this cage is secure, and you need to ignore anything she says. If she's bad enough that even Ben would try to kill me... she must be really bad."

"She cut off half of Julie's face and a chunk of her shoulder with a Mana attack. You saw the metal? The resistance didn't have this kind of healing tech back then... It's what made me stop working for Gwen in the first place... To put it lightly, Ben kinda holds a personal grudge."

Gwen gasped, remembering the cold gaze Julie had cast on her. She remembered Ben's pure malice... no wonder they hated her. How many had she killed? Enslaved? Scarred?

She hated this world.

"You... you were forced to work for her... I dropped the threads..."

Kevin smiled, grabbed the hand that had been clutching at the fabric of his sleeve. "Yeah. But it was my own fault to begin with. I... I couldn't hurt her, when the time came. I failed. And then she... well, let's just say it's been a rough couple of years."

"You can stop her now." Gwen said confidently. "She'll be trapped in here, exactly where I'm lying. She won't be hurt, though. You have to be prepared for her to be strong."

Kevin was quiet for a long time, gazing down thoughtfully at her weak body. "Where you're from... is it a nice place?"

"I'm from Earth. Another version of it..." She took in a deep breath, ignoring the strain in her chest and smiling. "You're there, and you're happy. Most of the time. I believe in you and Ben... I know you guys can make this world happy again too."

"Thank you," Kevin muttered, "but I don't believe that." He walked backwards through the shield and kept hold of her hand for as long as possible. She flashed him one more encouraging smile before her world flashed pink again, plunging her into an icy prison in her own world.

…

The ice was beginning to crack, Gwen's eyes glowing brighter. They didn't have much time left...

Then... her eyes suddenly went dim, shiny green orbs staring up at the sky, and Kevin knew it was over. Their Gwen was back. He moved, breaking through the cracks that had already begun to appear in their ice block.

Ben changed back quickly, running over as Gwen fell backwards into Kevin's arms.

"Gwen?" Ben asked, crouching down.

"She's unconscious..." Kevin muttered, reaching forward and brushing his thumb over her thick pink lips. He pulled back her upper lip, taking in her normal human teeth with a sigh of relief. "And she's definitely our Gwen." Kevin picked her up easily, not even feeling her weight in his thick iron arms. The two made their way back to the green muscle car, Kevin slipping Gwen into the backseat.

"Hey- how did you know I needed help anyways?"

"Oh, Gwen's dad picked up the phone. Said something about Gwen in danger..."

"Yeah. Cause she was really the one suffering back there." Kevin rubbed at the back of his neck, trying to sooth the ache.

Ben grinned, buckling his seat belt with a loud 'click.' "How about we get her home, then stop screwing around on this and find out what's really going on here?"


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! . As promised, it's another double-upload day!**

**Chapter Twelve: Med-Tech**

"Can I have some water...?" Gwen said, not bothering to open her eyes. She didn't know who put the straw up to her lips, but she didn't especially care as she sucked down the cool liquid. She was exhausted. Her head was still pounding. And she still had the after effects of being shanked by a chunk of crystal.

It was not a good day.

"My mother went back to Anodine... I haven't heard anything about her returning again."

"I'll bet Grandpa Max has a way to contact her." Ben said, somewhere close to Gwen's head. He must be sitting on the arm of the couch. "I don't know why we didn't think of that before..."

"Because you weren't taking this seriously!" barked Kevin, right next to Gwen's ear. Ah. He was the one moving away the empty water glass, then, one hand reaching up to brush back her hair from her forehead.

"Well, the first time we thought it was just some harmless vision. The second time was some kind of silly little wedding-dream, right? How could I take _that_ seriously?"

"If this is hurting Gwen," Mrs. Tennyson began hesitantly, "then we'll help out in any way we can. We can't contact Verdona," she said the name with a hint of venom, "but we can at least ask Max what he can do. I... I'll give him a call."

Gwen heard her mother retreat to the kitchen, her father's heavy footsteps following, and she squeezed her eyes tight at the sound of the door slamming closed behind them. Ow. Her head was killing her.

"Gwen? I know you're hurting- but we need to tell you what happened."

"Psycho-path Gwen woke up here." Ben blurted. "That's why you have a new open-floor plan leading to the garage."

Gwen groaned. She meant for the sound to be more dramatic, but she just couldn't manage it. "From what I gathered... she... sucks." Was all Gwen could manage. The car ride had really shook up her wound, and she wasn't sure that letting it go unbound was very healthy...

"Yeah? Were you ok... in her world?"

Gwen wondered if she should tell them. It would only make both of them worry, knowing how close to death she had been... but at the same time she still had to explain just how wounded she was. She didn't need them expecting her to be up and fighting in the next couple of hours. "Ben kicked my butt." She whispered, trying to make it sound light-hearted and unimportant. "I'm fine... just won't be... getting off this couch anytime soon." Subconsciously, she placed a shaky hand on her stomach lightly.

With a sudden movement, her shirt flew up, causing her to finally shoot open her eyes. "What the hell are you doing!?" She cried, her embarrassment enough to make her move, her hands reaching up to try and pull the shirt back down.

"Just trying to see what you're hiding from us!" Kevin yelled, his warm hand keeping a grip on the edge of her shirt, holding it up just below her bra. Her stomach was bared, and there was no hiding the cause of her pain.

"Kevin, stop it... what the hell is that?" Ben said, jumping up and moving closer to where Kevin was kneeling down by the couch. Both boys peered down at the angry red circle marring her skin. There were what appeared to be cracks running though it- angry red lines of dried blood from all of her moving around. The skin was still not completely healed, afterall, and while Gwen didn't have a great grasp of alien healing tech she had to guess that moving before the new tissue had set was probably bad.

Ben cleared his throat, looking away uncomfortably while still managing to sound angry. "How could you hide something like this- you're actually hurt. What is that, anyways?"

"It's a very shoddy healing job on a very large wound." Kevin answered confidently. "This tech can't be more than level 5- and that's pretty low considering it had to repair some kind of potentially-fatal wound. Am I right?" The last was directed at Gwen, and he looked furious. His eyes were really scary just then, flashing and dangerous.

"They said… it should be fine on it's own now..."

"I did this?" Ben asked, blinking.

"Not you. Other-world you." Gwen said, fighting back the blush that had attacked her face. Her shirt was still up, but Kevin definitely didn't have any nefarious purpose in mind as he gazed down at her ruined flesh. He looked like he wanted to smash down a wall or something, not feel her up. She struggled to just talk normally and ignore her boyfriend's intense gaze. "I sorta... she sorta... had it coming. A crystal kind of..." she took a deep breath, trying to finish her sentence, "went through me."

"Diamondhead" Ben muttered.

"Probably."

Kevin's hands brushed against the skin on her wound, causing her to gasp. It didn't hurt... in fact, she had never known Kevin could be that gentle with his hands... but it had been unexpected. "Your grandpa will have to help with this, too. Plumbers have better tech than this on their ships- Max could contact one while he's trying to figure out how to get his old squeeze back here."

"I'll be fine..." Gwen muttered, not really liking all the attention. They needed to focus on the most important thing: Not letting her skip dimensions again. She didn't have time to worry about a scrape on her stomach- especially one that had already been healed.

Mostly.

"Ok, if we overlook the risk of infection, internal bleeding, and pain... you still would be left with a giant scar for the rest of your life. If you're fine with all that, then, please, by all means keep brushing this off as 'no big deal.'" Kevin snapped. He was really angry this time, and Gwen wondered if it had been a mistake to keep her pain to herself.

"Sorry." She muttered softly, and in an instant Kevin's face relaxed, his eyes raising up from her stomach to her eyes. His eyes went soft again, gazing into hers with an unfathomably tender look. It reminded Gwen, ever so slightly, of the look other-world-husband-Kevin had given her...

Ben cleared his throat, and both sets of eyes turned up to him. "We should, ah, probably not let her parents know. They have enough to freak out about, right?"

"Right..." Kevin muttered, smoothing Gwen's shirt back down over her bare skin gently.

…..

Grandpa Max apparently didn't say much over the phone, but instead decided to speed over his large motor home and talk to them in person. It was just as well- the three heroes had to talk to him and find some good med-tech for Gwen. Kevin still couldn't believe she had tried to hide something like that... honestly, he had sugar-coated it. The wound looked beyond terrible. There was a good chance, if it went untreated, that the reconstructed organic material would just collapse in on itself... which of course would be very, very bad.

Kevin grit his teeth.

He wanted to continue to chew her out, he really did, and he was perfectly within his rights to do so. However... she just looked so weak, so quiet and withdrawn... it wasn't like her, and it created an overwhelming urge inside him to protect and defend her. He had to keep his cool- he could yell at her when she was feeling better. For now, the last thing she needed was stress.

"Boys?" Mrs. Tennyson said in a soft voice, sitting in the chair at Gwen's feet. The redhead had long since fallen into a fitful sleep, a squeaking groan escaping her lips every once in a while as she adjusted her body painfully. "You will be able to stop this? To make sure nothing like this happens again?"

"Of course." Ben answered forcefully, and Kevin gave him a skeptical look that went unseen. Ben was always so damn positive... but how could they stop something they didn't understand? If they couldn't get ahold of Verdona soon...

"This could happen again at any moment." Kevin said, ignoring the strained looks his announcement brought to the faces of Gwen's parents. "Where is Max? We don't have time to wait..."

Almost as if on cue, the front door flew open. Course, there was a huge hole in the wall leading straight to the garage and then outside... but Max still used the front door.

"Gwen!" the old man said, coming to the sick girl's side. "Explain exactly what happened." He said this to Ben, specifically, ignoring everyone else in the room. Ben might be the hero... but somehow Kevin felt personally involved in this one. Kevin was the one who knew everything Gwen saw. Kevin was the one she had confided in.

"We need to contact Verdona" Kevin said, his voice a low growl. Keeping his anger inside was getting harder and harder. He didn't like feeling out of control, and there was no part of this situation he controlled.

Grandpa Max turned his steely gaze to Kevin. "I know. But first, I need to know..."

"We also need to contact the nearest plumbers." Kevin added, ignoring the old man. "She needs some advanced med-tech." Kevin couldn't just sit around and wait for them to get Gwen's parents out of the room. This was all taking much too much time! Gwen couldn't sit around with those wounds much longer.

"Advanced tech? What-"

Before the old man could ask- again- what happened, Kevin reached over and pulled Gwen's shirt up slightly, revealing half of the strange circular wound ripping over the pale skin of her stomach. "That's why."

"This is..." Grandpa Max bent over, examining her. Her parents were also standing now, breathing down Kevin's neck in an effort to see. Max stood suddenly, squaring his shoulders. "I understand. Give me a minute." Without another word the old man ran out of the house, returning a couple minutes later with a small flashlight-looking object.

It couldn't be...

"Mercronian Med-tech?" Kevin asked, impressed, as he took in the flashlight's squiggly script and obviously Mercronian interface. "You just had this lying around?"

"Indeed it is, and indeed I did." Max sounded impressed at the boy's knowledge, raising the thing up. "You ever used one of these before?"

"Er... I've had my fair share of medical emergencies..."

The whole room watched as Max Tennyson clicked the level 10 tech on, moving his fingers quickly over the glowing symbols. A light came beaming from the front, and he lined that light up directly with Gwen's wound. "This will take a little while." He said, steadying his elbow on the couch so he could hold the light in the same position for as long as possible. "Now that the emergency is over, you have time to tell me everything. Ben?"

Kevin sighed, sitting down as Ben began the rather long story of the past two weeks.

…

"I have no way to contact your grandmother." Max told Ben bluntly at the end of his story. "But... perhaps we can go to her."

"What do you mean, dad?" Mr. Tennyson asked, arms crossed over his chest. "Do you really mean to bring these kids all the way to her home planet? After what happened last time she visited?"

"What happened last time she visited?" Uncle Max asked, clearly out of the loop. Kevin groaned impatiently, slouching down in his seat.

This time, Ben offered a much quicker explanation. Kevin noticed Gwen's mom was tapping her finger against her lips as she listened, her foot tapping to the same pace, annoyed.

Yeah, Verdona was not a popular woman in the Tennyson family.

Max listened intently, nodding with a hand to his chin in thought. After several long seconds of silence, he finally spoke. "The situation is only getting worse. In this emergency case... we should take our chances. However, it may be smart to leave Gwen behind."

Finally, the old guy was saying something that made sense. "Let's go." Kevin said, shooting out of his seat. He had been dying for some action; to be able to _do_ something would relieve the tension and worry building inside him. "And if we have to kick some Anodite ass to get answers, well..." He grinned happily, "...that's just too bad.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen: Away**

When Gwen woke up in the dark living room, there was one overwhelming fact she noticed: She felt fantastic! Better than ever! Her headache was gone, she no longer felt weak... and best of all, there was no pain in her stomach. She reached a hand under her shirt, checking for the bumpy cracked skin of her wound. It was smooth, her skin even softer than before.

She sat up, looking around, but there was no one to be found. Just a dark living room.

Her parents had probably gone to bed, and the boys had probably gone home... but how had she been healed? Grandpa Max? Man, she had really been out cold to not notice being healed...

She stood up, stretching, and headed to the kitchen to drink a tall glass of water. She was so full of energy, now, and wondered just how long she had been sleeping to feel so good.

Her eyes grazed over the room, seeing that the clock read one am. Huh. She had hardly slept at all...

She pulled out her phone as she sipped her drink, checking for any messages... and noticed the date.

October 14th. She lost control of her basic motor functions, leaking a mouthful of water on the floor as the shock hit her. She barely managed to keep ahold of her glass, fumbling it and spilling most of it's contents in the process.

She had been sleeping for over five days!?

A sinking feeling in her gut, Gwen ran through her contact list and dialed the number of the one person she really wanted to talk to.

"Hey. This is Kevin's phone. You can leave a message, but I don't check them. Beep!"

"Damn..." Gwen muttered, setting down her glass and pocketing her phone. Kevin never ignored a call from her. He rarely forgot to charge his phone. He rarely turned it off.

Where was he?

She walked upstairs quickly, jumping up the stairs two at a time, heading for her bedroom.

"Come on..." She muttered as she punched her laptop power button, wishing the thing would start up quicker. She knew of one sure-fire way to contact Kevin- his car's video link. If he were working on the car or out driving, he would answer.

Nothing.

"Kevin..." Gwen muttered, annoyed. This was her sure-fire back-up plan to contact him. Now what?

Thinking for a moment, she tried the last thing she could think of, pressing a few keys on her laptop. She was linked into the Universal-net thanks to some adjustments Kevin had made to her laptop a while ago, and she knew she'd be able to contact Ship if she had too. She really hoped that she was wrong... but there was always the chance...

"Hello, Gwen!" A smiling face appeared on the screen, the girl's eyes a little unsure.

"Julie... where are you right now?" Gwen asked, suspicion creeping into her voice.

"Um... Ben? What did the last inter-galactic tunnelway sign say? 5750.4 million Km past Etnon?"

"Yeah..." Gwen heard her cousin's voice call off camera, hesitantly.

They had left her. They had gone on some stupid, dangerous mission without her, and she had a feeling she knew why.

"And you're heading to...?"

"Um..." Julie looked at someone off-camera to her right, biting her lower lip.

The camera moved, and suddenly Kevin came into view, his hand reached out to turn the screen towards himself. "Don't worry about it so much, Gwen. Just focus on getting better and not teleporting to some death-trap again, ok?"

"Of course, I have no control over that, which you know very well. Kevin! You three are going to Anodyne!? Are you insane!? You don't know what they'll do to you! My alien bloodline doesn't seem to hold physical forms in high regard, in case you didn't notice."

"Hey, I'm one-fourth Anodite too!" Ben said, coming into screen. "I figured if we found grandma she would at least listen..."

"What part of our past interactions with her lead you to believe she'd listen to you?"

"The part where _you're_ in trouble." Kevin said, answering for Ben.

Gwen thought about it for a moment. It was true- her grandmother did seem to favor her. She just had a funny way of showing it. Even if the woman was responsible for Gwen's condition, she probably hadn't meant for it to hurt her like this. If Ben and Kevin asked for help, and calmly explain that Gwen was unhappy...

"You two are the least diplomatic people I know..."

"Which is why I tagged along!" Julie said, squishing herself into the screen.

Gwen touched her forehead, trying hard to think of exactly what words could be used to describe her frustrations with her friends. They had left her behind. She was pissed.

"I... just be careful." She finally said, biting her tongue. Nothing she said would get them to turn around and come back, and she didn't have a space ship to follow them. There was nothing she could do except hope they returned safely.

"Relax, Gwen. I got this." Ben said, his over-confidence kicking in.

She rolled her eyes, then focused them on Kevin. He had a small sheepish smile on his face, his eyes glued on Gwen as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. Reading the situation very clearly, Julie grabbed Ben's sleeve, pulling him to an undisclosed off-camera location quicker than he could protest. Kevin watched them go, his smile dissolving into a frown as he realized he was talking to an angry Gwen all alone, now.

"Kevin..." Gwen started, eyes narrowing.

"Look, there was no way we could bring you while you were healing, anyways."

"Yeah, but..."

"And if you brought over a crazy-Gwen while we were flying through space, it would have been a lot of trouble."

"True, but..."

"And if your grandmother is behind this, she might try to destroy your body again if you were to face her."

"I, uh..." Ok. This was not how this conversation was supposed to go. Gwen wasn't supposed to be the one put in her place... but Kevin was making a lot of sense. She finally sighed, conceding with a sagging of her shoulders. "Alright, Kevin. I trust you guys to do the best you can. Just make sure you come back to me in one piece... please?"

Kevin grinned, knowing he had won. "We'll do more than that- we'll come back with a cure for you. See ya, Gwen."

"Yeah... see you." Gwen shut off the camera, staring at the black screen dejectedly. This sucked. What was she supposed to do while she waited, worrying, about her friends?

…

His strong arms held her close, his lips tracing along her neck from the nape to her ear, creating a hot trail. There was nothing gentle in either of their movements- both clung to each other, kissing hungrily as their bodies slid together. He was warm, and she loved the feel of his taught muscled arms wrapping around her, keeping her trapped against him as they explored each other. His breath felt warm on her face as he pressed his lips to her ear, whispering something she didn't understand. He moved, and her body followed sync as if they were listening to the same music, both in tune to each others every push and pull, gasp and moan... she could feel him inside, filling her up, touching her deep in her core...

And then she woke up.

Gwen, feeling slightly panicked, swiped her hands over the comforter loudly, searching for another body before she even opened her eyes fully. She was breathing hard, a strange heart-pounding worry taking the place of her earlier arousal... in the dream, that is.

It had just been a dream. No strange other-world.

That would have been a little too much, teleporting straight into some sex scene in another dimension. She sighed, relaxing back into her pillow. It was ok. Just a healthy dose of teenage hormones, along with a not-so-healthy dose of "boyfriend gone to another planet for a week."

Gwen ran her hand over her face and through a tendril of hair, working out the knots with her fingers absent-mindedly. Her body still felt warm, and something deep in her abdomen was pulsing with the need to be touched.

She had been dreaming of Kevin. That had never happened before; usually _those kinds_ of dreams centered around someone unattainable- movie stars and fictional characters she never would meet. The fact that this one had been about someone she saw on a regular basis... well, even if he was her boyfriend it made her feel a little dirty. Invasive, even.

Did he dream about her, too?

The thought sent chills of excitement down her spine, directly into the warm pressure left over from the dream. She remembered his dark hair falling against her skin as he kissed down her neck, his touch rough and soft at the same time. Her own hand moved, her fingers fluttering over her throat in tickling swirls. She dragged them down, over her collar bone and lower, lower... Her breasts were sensitive, sending sharp tingles through her as her palms brushed over them. She wasn't thinking about what she was doing anymore. Her worry was gone with the knowledge that she was alone, and that she was the only person who would know. She wished he was here for real, touching her... she wished it were his large calloused hands brushing against her stomach, dipping under the elastic of her pajama pants... She hissed, sucking in air sharply through her teeth, as her hands rubbed against her tender nub of flesh. The sound quickly became a moan, and she let her nails drag lightly inside her folds...

There was a soft tapping noise, and Gwen jumped so hard she nearly fell out of her bed. She frantically clutched at her blankets, glad that they had been covering her as she realized exactly what the sound was.

It was a tapping on her window, which could only mean one thing: She had a guest.

Her face flushed bright red, and she flipped over to look up at the window by the head of her bed. The dark looming figure, crouched on the overhanging patio roof just outside her window, was not anyone she would have expected to see.

**A/N: This was written before the team had their very own spaceship. . Just try to keep everything in context for the time period it's set in. .**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen: Roomie**

"Drop the 'hand caught in the cookie jar' expression and focus on what I'm saying, Gwen."

Gwen Tennyson had no idea how this situation had come about. Never in a million years did she expect to find herself sitting at her kitchen table, drinking tea across from Charmcaster. Charmcaster, her enemy. Charmcaster, who obviously knew exactly what she had been doing under her sheets...

Gwen tried to avoid dropping her head hard against the table. Now she really understood the saying "I want to crawl into a hole and hide."

So, why had she opened the window? Why was she now sitting (relatively) calmly across from the sassy sorceress who had only too recently tried to kill her? Again?

"I wasn't... I'm not... nevermind. Just explain this to me one more time." Gwen fumbled, trying not to meet the platinum blond girl's eyes. Charmcaster just smirked, sipping at her cup of Oolong. "You say you've..."

"Been slipping between worlds. Yes. Just as I know you have." Charmcaster sighed heavily, dramatically, and flipped her long hair over her shoulder in a huffy quick motion. "Much as I hate you, Gwen, It seems we are both in peril here. I propose that we act like adults and work together. You know, if you can stop fantasizing about your rock-boy long enough..."

"I wasn't..." Gwen bit her tongue. Charmcaster was just trying to get under her skin. Gwen was hopelessly embarrassed, but being flustered wasn't helping her decision-making skills. She had to think. "You want to work together with _me_, to find a way to stop this?"

Charmcastor rolled her eyes. "How ever did you guess?"

"We've been working on this, too. I thought it was because of my alien background..." But Charmcaster wasn't an alien... was she?

"This is a Mana-using problem. Doesn't matter if your Anodite or from LedgerDomain."

Gwen decided to ignore the last part for now. She didn't know what Ledgerdomain was, but she knew it wasn't the same as her own alien bloodline. "So, you know what's causing this." Gwen said, her voice steady and accusatory. She was getting annoyed with Charmcaster's flippant tone, and wanted to get to the bottom of what was really going on. That, or just blast the annoying villain out of her home.

Why hadn't Charmcaster said she knew what was happening to begin with!?

"No, I'm just a master at deductions." Sarcasm dripped from the girl's dark lips, but Gwen caught the vague tremble to her voice, the way her hands tightened on her mug in an effort to keep it steady. Charmcaster had to have been pushed pretty far to be coming to Gwen like this... this wasn't really just about a partnership. This was Charmcaster begging for help, in her own way.

What horrible things had the other girl been through, in another world?

Gwen felt herself softening, her shoulders dropping as she let out a deep breath she didn't know she had been holding. "You _don't_ know what's causing this, then? I'm sorry to say neither do I. Ben and the others went to Anodyne to try and get some answers..."

"And they left you here alone, did they?" the girl muttered, one eyebrow raised. Something in her tone... Gwen was sure of the implications. Charmcaster knew she was alone, now. Gwen felt stupid for mentioning it, but if the girl across from her wanted to fight she would never find a cure, and they both knew it. The girl would have tried everything possible before she came to Gwen, so the problem was obviously not an easy one to fix.

Charmcaster sagged fractionally, shaking her head. "Any other time, Gwen, and this would have meant a great battle between us. I could have used this opportunity... damn. But for now, I'm calling for a truce."

Gwen snorted. "Truce? _You're_ the one who keeps bothering _me_! I really don't care to seek you out."

Charmcaster glared. "True enough. Then how about we call this what it is? A surrender. I give up. I can't..." The tough exterior broke, and for only a brief moment Gwen could see the fragile girl underneath. Charmcaster's face crinkled, her eyes closing in defeat as her mouth tugged downward. Then, with a visible amount of effort, she pulled herself back together. She took a deep breath and a long sip of tea. "I will do whatever it takes- if your boys find a way to stop this on Anodyne, I want a share in it." After a moment's hesitation, she added, "Please."

Gwen stared at her half-empty cup, tapping her nails against it lightly. How could she trust Charmcastor?

Then again, hadn't she already made her decision? If she wasn't going to help the girl, then why did she let her into her home?

"Gwen?" A light clicked on in the living room, and a moment later her mother stepped groggily into the kitchen, rubbing at her eyes. "It's four in the morning... oh! You have a guest... again."

"Uh, mom, this is..."

"Caroline." Charmcaster said smoothly, as if giving a perfectly normal name would detract from the weirdness of her outfit. She held out a hand and stood, shaking the older woman's hand firmly. "Good to meet you, Mrs. Tennyson. I was just telling Gwen about my housing situation..."

"Oh?"

"You see, I live with my uncle, and he has sadly gone away on business. It's scary for a young woman to be all alone for so long, so Gwen invited me to stay here... I hope that's alright?"

"Of course it is!" Mrs. Tennyson said, her face brightening with false early-morning cheer. She shot Gwen an exasperated look. "It would be nice if you would tell me these things sometimes, Gwen."

"Uh... it was sort of... sudden." Gwen muttered. She just couldn't win- it appeared that the universe had decided to get her in trouble with her parents as much as possible lately.

Her new "roomie" flashed her a deceptively harmless smile, and Gwen wondered if she had just made a very big mistake.

"You have got to be kidding me." Kevin said loudly, cutting Ship's engines with an angry swipe of his hand over the screen.

They were sitting ducks out here. They couldn't land, because the planet itself wasn't composed of anything solid. Pure life energy. Very pretty to look at, but useless to physical beings like, say, _humans_.

Kevin groaned, leaning back in his chair as Ben and Julie offered useless ideas.

"We could try sending out another signal..."

"We've been waiting here for too long! Let's just drive right into the planet."

"We should try something a little more tactful, Ben."

"Like... we could fire a missile at the planet's rings? Would that get someone's attention?"

"Ben!"

"Would you two just shut up!" Kevin yelled, shifting through Ship's computer system for the millionth time in an effort to find some kind of answer to their numerous messages. It didn't appear that there was a single living being on the whole planet- no one was answering them. Most likely, they were being ignored. It was infuriating... "Ben's right."

"Kevin! What is it with boys and blowing stuff up?"

"No, not about that... though we'll keep that idea shelved as "Plan B." Kevin said, a smile coming to his face as he thought about blowing up a chunk of the planet's mana-ring to get the Anodite's attention.

Definitely a stupid idea, but a very satisfying one. "I mean that we should just fly at the planet. We can't land, but we can't just float out here, either...

"And if we fly straight into that giant ball of Mana? What happens to Ship?"

"I'm sure Ship will be fine, Julie." Ben said unhelpfully.

"No." Julie answered sharply, her tone 100% no-nonsense. "I won't risk Ship like that. We need to just wait for someone to notice our messages."

"And how long should we wait?" Kevin growled angrily, his thin control snapping. "Days? How long until Gwen ends up somewhere really bad? Julie, she could _die_."

Julie bit her lip, looking chastised. Ben was frowning at him, clearly unhappy that he had taken such an aggressive tone with his girlfriend, but Kevin didn't especially care. They needed to get serious. Really, he should just pilot Ship down right now, with or without her permission...

"Alright. Ship?" Julie said, speaking to the air around her.

"Shiiip?" The walls spoke back in a happy jilting echo.

"Take us as close to the planets, er, _surface_ as you can without touching it."

Kevin realized how useless his last thought had been. He could _navigate_ the ship, but the real control belonged to Ship. In other words, Julie was the real pilot of this adventure, so staying on her good side was probably a good idea... at least the girl listened to reason, even if Kevin had lost his temper.

Ship moved closer, and through the large screen their little crew watched as the pink mass of energy grew closer. The light emanating off the surface was bright, giving the impression that they were drawing nearer to a sun instead of an inhabited planet. Who knew what that kind of Mana would do to them?

Kevin swallowed back his worry, focusing on the important thing here: Gwen. Gwen was in danger, and moving forward was the only way to protect her.

A great howling suddenly filled the small cabin, green lights flashing. Everyone clamped their hands over their ears to try to drown out the horrible, wailing alarm.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?" Ben yelled, trying to talk over the sound.

"SHIP'S SCARED!" Julie cried.

"IT'S A WARNING; SOMEONE HAS A WEAPON LOCKED ONTO US." Kevin screamed out, studying the chart in front of him. The weapon was something on the surface of the planet... and it was growing closer. There were high levels of radiation emanating from the surface as well, enough that without Ship they would all be fried for sure.

The "missile" grew closer, until Kevin could actually see it through the window. Everyone stared, feeling utterly useless as Ship readied it's shields and it's own lazar canons.

"WAIT, SHIP! SHIP! WOULD YOU TURN OFF THAT SOUND? IT'S NOT HELPING." At Julie's request, the alarm died instantly, leaving a residual ringing in Kevin's ears. "Thanks, Ship. Now, let's put the weapons away. We don't want to make her mad."

The thing approaching their ship was not a weapon. It was a woman... or rather, it was pure raw energy shaped like a woman.

An Anodite.

Obviously, their presence had finally been acknowledged.

"You know, in one world I was dating your boyfriend." Charmcaster said flippantly, chewing on a piece of the pizza the girls had ordered. Gwen would never get over how weird the situation was: Charmcaster. On her couch. Eating dominoes and drinking a coke zero. The world really had gone mad.

"Fantastic." Gwen muttered, rolling her eyes. She, at least, was trying to be the bigger person here and act diplomatic. "Caroline," however, was trying her very best to be confrontational and snippy at every turn.

"Yep. And here I could insert a pun about being "rock hard," but I think that's a little too easy, don't you?"

Gwen sighed at Charmaster's annoying grin. "Honestly? I think you're lying to piss me off. Again."

Charmcaster affected a hurt expression, a hand to her chest. "Me? Lie? Why, Gwen, when do I ever lie?" She smirked, and as Gwen rolled her eyes again added, "Ok, I am lying. Mostly. But literally every possibility is now... possible. There's another world for every little choice we make in life... even the bad choices."

"Yeah." Gwen remembered the last world with a shudder.

If something like that happened again, could she trust Charmcaster to protect her family while Ben and Kevin were away? No, she couldn't trust Charmcaster to pour her a cup of coffee, let alone with her loved one's lives. And what if Charmcaster was the one to switch with an even less savory version of herself?

There was no point in worrying about the "what-if's." It had been a week and a half since the boys left, and there had been no strange other-world switches.

"In one world..." Charmcaster looked down at her pizza, her eyes glazed as if she were actually looking at something far away, "I had freed Ledgerdomain..."

Gwen had asked about what the hell a "ledgerdomain" was the other night, and got some vague response about it being another dimension where Charmcaster was from. Her former enemy had proceeded to explain that it wasn't the same kind of "alternate dimension" as the one's they were slipping into. "Ledgerdomain," Charmcaster had explained, "Is a world anchored tightly to our own reality. It's not an alternate timeline, but rather a part of this own world's timeline."

"In one world," Gwen said, trying to break the long silence that had descended since Charmcaster's last statement, "I was married to Kevin."

She had no idea why she picked that one. Maybe because talking about the bad worlds was somehow... taboo. She knew Charmcaster had had her own bad experiences, but neither of them talked about that.

So, instead, Gwen brought up the only "good" world she had been to, one that would, no doubt, get her teased by the sorceress.

"Really?" The woman rolled her eyes, settling her chin on her hand. "Fascinating, and so very inexplicable. Give me a minute- it might take a while for me to fully wrap my brain around such a strange, difficult concept. Whoa." The sarcasm was getting annoying, now.

Gwen tried to shrug it off, looking back at the television. "Fine. Whatever. I was just..."

"Sharing? I don't think either of us need to trade any more stories, Gwen. We're not posed to become bosom-buddies or anything drastic like that, so let's just stop trying to play nice. I'm here for assistance, and you're letting me stay because you have some kind of flaw that doesn't allow you to turn away someone asking for help." Charmcaster snorted. "Even if you probably should."

Gwen blinked. "I... you're right. I have no reason to trust you. Maybe it's stupid... but lately I've learned a little about how it feels to be completely helpless. Neither of us are in control anymore, not even of our own lives. I don't think it's such a stretch, trying to get along for now. We're actually a lot alike at the moment..."

Charmcaster didn't have a witty retort to that, so instead she just drained the last drop from her pop can.

After a while, she said, "Fine. I just..."

And then the world flashed pink, but when Gwen's eyes readjusted she wasn't anywhere different... but Charmcaster's body was slumped over on the couch, unconscious.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen: Thin Fabric and Spellbooks**

The woman calmly explained that she had planned to dissolve their ship down to it's most primitive atoms, with them inside it, until she had noticed the signal messages vibrating through the atmosphere. "It's just crude," she had said, "to destroy organic life when it's trying to talk to you." And so, the energy-being had given them a chance. The Anodites had no way to receive messages wirelessly... technology wasn't really high on their priority list. But the approaching ship had annoyed the inhabitants of the planet, so "Lenya" had made it her business to come take care of the problem.

"So, I will listen to whatever story you have been trying to tell _before _I destroy you." Lenya said cheerfully, her pink light filling Ship's cabin.

"Well... we're kinda hoping you won't want to destroy us, you know, after we tell you why we're here." Ben tried, smiling fakely.

"Of course you are." Lenya said brightly. Her bubbly attitude was very much out of place with her words.

"Look, we're here to find Verdona." Kevin said gruffly, not taking the thinly veiled threat well. "Have you seen her?"

"Her? Male and female are biological concepts. We are pure energy. What does sex mean to us? What do names mean to us?"

"But... you just told us your name..." Julie pointed out. "Lenya."

"Hmm... names are convenient to give sentient biological lifeforms. We change them often. Several hundred years ago, I was on Galvin under the name "Ix." Fun times."

Kevin tried counting backwards from ten, knowing that attacking the energy being would probably prove fruitless. However, he was very sick of wasting time.

"Well, Verdona is the one who went to Earth. Had a couple of kids. Returned recently to torment her grandkids. Ring any bells?"

Lenya cocked her head to side as if in thought, her tendrils of hair reaching out and inadvertently causing small sparks to fly off the control board and walls. "Earth? Earth... Been there once, myself. Tiny planet, but nice enough. Lot's of life energy. Let's see... Verdona... Verdona...Nope, no idea. There are many of us, you know."

"Then can you take us to... I can't believe I'm saying this... your leader? Someone who would know how to track her down?" Kevin tried.

"Leader?"

Kevin let out a frustrated growl.

"So, you don't have leaders?" Ben guessed. "Well, maybe you have... some kind of communication system between everyone?"

"Oh, I can add my thoughts to the great pool of energy. Perhaps she would pick that up. But then again..." Lenya shrugged, "perhaps not."

"We don't have time to waste on this crap!" Kevin finally shouted. "If you-"

"If you're in such a hurry, I could just destroy you now for invading our sacred planet."

"Er, no, we can wait for you to add your thoughts to the, um, swimming pool." Ben said.

Lenya just smiled down at them unnervingly. "In that case, please wait here. Do not move closer or father away. Remain exactly where you are."

And suddenly, in a bright flash of pink, she was gone.

"Wait!" Julie yelled, but it was too late. The woman was gone. Julie glared at Kevin and Ben in turn. "And it didn't occur to either of you that we should just ask _her_ about what's happening to Gwen?"

"If Verdona is responsible," Ben answered, "Then we want to face her directly. We need to talk her into helping us stop this, and Lenya has no reason to help. Verdona likes Gwen- chances are good that she'll want to help if she knows how much damage this is doing."

"Maybe. Or maybe that's her plan." Kevin muttered. He wasn't really buying into the whole 'Verdona cares enough about Gwen to help out, even if she is the one who started the dimension-slipping problem' theory.

In any case, right now, they were grounded. Who knew how long they would be stuck there?

Feeling useless and worried, he did the only thing he could do: He called Gwen.

….

Gwen heard the noise of an incoming transmission coming from her bedroom upstairs, but she had no choice but to ignore it. She felt a headache coming on as she tried to figure out exactly what she should do with Charmcaster. The girl had been unconscious now for over fifteen minutes, and all Gwen could do is make sure she's comfortable. Er, rather, make sure this alternate-Charmcaster was comfortable. As in, comfortable enough that she won't wake up, go crazy, and start attacking.

The chiming noise upstairs rang throughout the house, the sound set to her laptop to signal that an urgent message had been left via the universal wireless system. It was important.

It was probably Kevin.

At that thought Gwen bit her lip, shot one last worried glance down at Charmcaster, and ran up the stairs. She took the steps two at a time, lunging to her bedroom as fast as possible. She didn't want to leave the girl downstairs alone for long, just in case.

Gwen snatched up her thin metallic laptop, the logo on the front declaring it to be "alienware" brand. Everyone found that pretty funny, when she bought it, even though she hadn't done so on purpose.

She ran right back down to her living room before she even opened the computer, breathing a sigh of relief to see that nothing had changed. Charmcaster still slept peacefully.

Gwen sat down and propped the computer open on her lap, checking her intergalactic calls. Sure enough, the message had Ship's signature attached, and as she opened the pre-recorded video message she was met with Kevin's frowning face.

"Gwen? Come on- answer already. You better be ok. We're... going to be delayed a little. Uh... Maybe a lot, actually. Try to hang in there... Just... call me back. Let me know you're safe."

And that was it.

Gwen frowned. Delayed? Had something gone wrong?

She was about to call back, her fingers hovering over the keyboard, when Charmcaster began to scream.

…

Gwen was glad her parents were both working late- the scream was one of the most disturbing things she had ever heard. There were no apparent wounds on the girl who, after a second flash of pink, had quickly woken up in some sort of horrible pain.

"Charmcaster? Caroline? Whatever... can you hear me?" Gwen yelled, grabbing the girl by her shoulders firmly.

The scream died in her throat with an odd choking noise, and her purple eyes opened wide. She stared up at Gwen then, unexpectedly, threw her arms around the other girl. Sobs wracked her body, and all Gwen could do was wrap her own arms around the crying girl, shocked still.

The laptop beeped, and from the corner of her eye Gwen saw the screen connecting, answering the incoming call.

"Uh... hi?" Gwen said as Kevin's confused face came into view.

…

"Gwen?" Kevin felt compelled to ask.

"Yes, it's me... um... the real me."

Ben leaned over Kevin, looking down at the screen. "Nope. Not our Gwen. Not even possible."

"I gotta agree with you Tennyson... our Gwen doesn't have a sobbing villain attached to her. Usually."

Gwen sighed, patting the still-crying Charmcaster's back. "This isn't a good time, guys. Just tell me quickly: Are you all ok? What's going on?"

Kevin rolled his eyes. "I'm beginning to think our story's not as interesting as yours..."

"Charmcaster's having problems too. And grandmother...?"

"We can't get ahold of her. Yet. We're working on it." Ben said, running a hand through his hair. "Until then, we're stuck here. If we move..."

"The purple chicks'll fry us." Kevin finished grimly.

Gwen winced visibly. Charmcaster stood up suddenly, carefully keeping her face away from the computer screen. "Charm-" Gwen started, but was interrupted by the girl's rough and choked voice.

"I'm fine. I'll be right back." The girl walked off towards the bathroom in a hurry, still not showing her face.

"Ok, now that we've explained our little dilemma... wanna tell us what the hell Charmcaster's doing in your living room!?" Kevin said, a little too loudly.

"Um... crying, obviously." Gwen answered, feeling weirdly defensive of the other girl. The two were in exactly the same situation, now... Gwen knew exactly what Charmcaster was going through. "Like I said, she's having problems too. As in, she's also teleporting to horrible alternate worlds. Apparently, she just came back from a particularly bad one... but she didn't look injured, at least..."

"No way. Tell her to shove off- she can't be trusted! Especially not when you're alone! What'll happen when you pass out again? How do you know she won't just try to finish you off?" Kevin exclaimed.

Gwen puffed up a little. "I'm not stupid! I know she's my enemy- but the fact is that right now she needs me. Without me, she has no hope of finding a cure. She won't hurt me."

"Unless she's the one causing this. Maybe it's a spell of hers. Maybe this is a trick." Ben muttered, a hand to his chin in thought.

Gwen's jaw tightened. "I... I don't think so, Ben."

"Why?"

"Because... I can just tell, ok? She's desperate. She's... she's not lying about this one. Somehow, something is affecting Mana-users. At least the two more powerful one's on Earth."

Kevin's eyes softened fractionally, his eyebrows smoothing out. "Gwen... any more problems, yourself?"

She shook her head, her eyes locked on his. Her own expression softened, and she began to feel much less defensive as it occurred to her that Kevin was just worried about her. She could take care of herself... but it was still nice to have someone worry about her. "I'm fine, Kevin." She answered softly. She wished she could reach out to him... she wished she could be enveloped by his warm strong arms, pressed against his muscled chest. She wanted a hug right then, but knew that it would be quite a while before that would happen.

"Whoa. Ok. I'm just going to, uh, see how Julie's doing with microwaving lunch from the cooler..." Ben muttered, clearly uncomfortable. Was the atmosphere that obvious? She had been staring in silence for a little longer than was polite.

Gwen had almost completely forgotten her cousin was there. All she could focus on was Kevin... his dark eyes, his rough voice...

Damn.

Kevin watched Ben leave the cabin with shifted eyes, then flicked them immediately back to Gwen.

"I... I missed you." Gwen muttered, her cheeks flushing pink as she said the words out loud.

"Yeah. You too..." Kevin said, his tone low and gruff. His gaze was intense, and Gwen found herself growing hot under his stare. It was ridiculous... he wasn't even on the same _planet_ as her, and he still had the power to make her long for him. Make her dream of him...

She shook her head, trying to clear it. "Um. I just... When you come back, I want to make up for our failed concert-date."

Kevin laughed softy. "Since when do we ever have a nice normal time without something crazy happening?"

His smile was addicting, and Gwen couldn't help but mirror him. "Still... I want to try."

"Ok, but I'm not having dinner with your parents."

Gwen grinned in earnest. "Deal."

As if dragged by an unknown force, his eyes flickered downward, skimming over her body before then zipping back up to her face. He cleared his throat, his own faced tinged with pink. "Uh... you look good..."

Gwen cast a glance down, realizing she was wearing her pajama's… she had planned on going to bed before Charmcaster passed out. The top was a small silky camisole, thin and pale blue. It wasn't _super_ revealing, but still not an outfit she would normally wear in front of people. Gwen fought the urge to cross her arms over her chest, instead raising an eyebrow challengingly. She kinda liked the look Kevin was giving her, obviously trying hard to keep his eyes trained appropriately above her neck. He failed, and Gwen felt a warmth growing under his gaze.

"So do you." Gwen answered with a purr. It was true- even though he had been stuck in a small ship for over a week, he still looked like his usual self: clean and messy at the same time. His black shirt was tight, stretched across his chest, and he had forgone the long-sleeved undershirt. It must be hot on the ship...

Gwen's own eyes traveled back up, and she realized she had been doing exactly what he had been.

Feeling a little wicked and sure that they were both relatively alone, Gwen leaned forward, pretending not to be fully aware that the action caused the tiny camisole to slip. Pieces of her loose hair fell over her neck, obscuring her face just a little, and one strap of her thin top fell down her shoulder. She was also fairly sure Kevin was getting a very good cleavage-shot in the screen due to the carefully sexy pose. She played dumb, trying to talk business as she saw his eyes wander...

"Maybe Verdona will contact you soon? She knows Ben, and she met you before... she has to know that my absence would be strange. In the meantime, now I have access to Charmcaster's books..." Gwen had spent much of her free time researching through her own spell books for anything about alternate dimensions... but it had been pretty hopeless. She knew those books like the back of her hand, and there was nothing that could be useful there.

Of course, she was sure the same went for Charmcaster and her spellbook stash.

"Right... books..." Kevin muttered, putting up a weak show of actually paying attention. Gwen tried not to grin- despite the seriousness of the situation, she liked getting a little bit of payback. That'll teach him to leave her behind, putting galaxies between them...

"Ugh... I feel like I was hit by a truck. Did I mention I _was_ hit by a truck?"

Right. Charmcaster.

Gwen straightened up, running one hand over her hair and the other over the strap of her top to instantly become the picture of propriety. If she could have seen herself, she would have been proud of the transformation; as it was, Kevin was looking slack-jawed and shocked, as if he weren't quite sure if he had imaged the whole thing.

"Er, hey, I'd better make sure she's ok." Gwen muttered, gesturing at the girl who was now crashing down onto her couch face-first.

Kevin shook himself a little. "Uh, huh..." He shot Charmcaster a suspicious glare. "Just be careful with your little sleepover, alright? No way do I trust her."

"I can hear you, you know." Came Charmcaster's muffled reply through the couch cushion.

"I know." Kevin answered, his eyes narrowed. He cleared his throat. "Uh... I'll talk to you later, Gwen. It's going to be a long boring wait in this_…blindingly_ pink space. I'll let you know when we have news."

And with that, he hung up, the screen going black.

"Charmcaster? Can I get you some... um... water or something?"

"Stuff it, Gwen." The girl answered rudely, then groaned as she turned over on her side. "Not that I'm not glad you're having fun driving your poor man insane, but I would literally kill someone for some aspirin. Preferably you, but you know... not really an option right now."

"Aspirin? Somehow I didn't think you'd be into traditional medicine. I could look up a spell..."

"No spell for a migraine like this. You probably get them too, after using a lot of power." She snorted. "Or maybe you don't. Since you're such a damn magical genius."

Gwen decided not to comment. Charmcaster was obviously in a worse mood than usual, and Gwen didn't want to push it. She just kept reminding herself that the girl had been through some trauma as she retrieved the aspirin from the medicine cabinet and a glass of water from the kitchen.

Charmcaster was also clothed in a pair of Gwen's pajamas- her usual strange outfit currently in the wash. When Gwen returned to the living room, her guest was shivering, scrunched up in a ball on the couch.

"Here." She said much gentler than she meant to, placing the glass of water and aspirin down on the coffee table. She grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch and drew it over the shaking girl.

She knew the boys were wrong; if Charmcaster was tricking her, it was an incredible act.

Several minutes after taking the pills and curled up under the blanket, Charmcaster finally seemed to relax a little. Her breathing evened out, and she uncurled herself from her fetal-position on the couch.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Gwen tried, seated on the chair next to the couch.

Charmcaster just snorted, and Gwen took that as her answer.

After awhile Charmcaster drifted off to sleep, and Gwen packed up her laptop and did the same up in her room.

….

The minute Kevin shut off the video screen he groaned, running a hand through his hair in frustration. He wondered if Gwen knew she was killing him here; he tried to think about entirely unsexy things, like the millage on his car or the average street-value of a Carnethian Faulter. When the door to the front cabin opened up again, Ben returning with Julie in tow, Kevin was still having a... er... hard time. His brain was not even appreciating the pun, either.

Trying to avoid a horrifically embarrassing situation Kevin leaned forward towards the controls, as if he were reeeeeally interested in their motionless state, and sat with his legs crossed. Totally inconspicuous... right?

"Well? How's Gwen?" Julie asked, coming up right next to him as if she expected to see the girl still up on the communications screen. Kevin casually folded his hands in his lap.

"Uh, great. She's great. Charmcaster not so much, though."

Julie frowned. "What's a Charmcaster?"

"An old enemy. Current enemy too, actually. And she's staying at Gwen's house at the moment." Ben muttered, looking perplexed. "Things just keep getting better and better, huh?"

"She's at Gwen's house right now? What, are they suddenly best friends? Having pillow fights? I don't get it." Julie said, one eyebrow raised skeptically.

Charmcaster and Gwen. Two hot girls in thin, barely covering pajamas, having a sleep over... crap. Thinking about car parts and illegal tech deals just wasn't gonna cover it. He could feel his face growing red as his "problem" continued to... grow. Damn, pun...

"Uh, it's been a long day of sitting around doing nothing." He faked a dramatic yawn, but didn't dare raise his hands over his head in a stretch. "So, I think I'm gonna go get some sleep. Wake me if we're all about to die, ok?"

"Sure thing." Ben answered.

Kevin stood up, careful to keep his front tilted away from the view of his two friends on his right as he all but ran out the door and down the ship's short hallway.

Damn. Maybe they should have brought Gwen along? Was that a selfish thought? In any case, he desperately wished that if she were going to tease him she would do so when he could actually _touch_ her.

The moment he reached the tiny closet-sized space serving as his bedroom, he flung himself down on the cot. He chewed his lower lip as he finally unzipped his pants, freeing his very erect member from the confines of his jeans. A low hum escaped his mouth at the sensation of the open air. He couldn't stand it anymore- the doors on the ship didn't lock, so he'd have to be quick. He didn't think anyone would bother him when he was "sleeping," but you never know. He did say to let him know if they were all about to die, though if that's the case getting caught jacking off was the least of his worries.

He remembered the silky thin fabric of Gwen's top, and imagined what it would be like for that soft fabric to slide against her skin, smooth and slow. He remembered how the fabric was almost see-through, her breasts small but perky and her nipples very visible. They rubbed against the fabric, growing harder as she talked to him, as her eyes dragged over his body with an unfocused gaze.

He was certain that when she leaned forward she had no idea just how much he was able to see down her shirt, either.

He closed his eyes, fighting back a groan as he touched himself. His large hand wrapped around his own member with a firm grip, stroking with a quick pumping motion. He liked it a little rough and fast, although he could imagine Gwen's soft hand as gentle... he imagined her touching him, her face red and her motions hesitant. He thought of touching her, of making her gasp and moan, hearing those small noises she made when he had kissed her before... her tongue was so soft...

"Shit." He muttered, panting as he finally came over his hand, the milky white substance staining his pants where it dripped. He leaned back on the bed and worked at catching his breath before finally using the only thing available- the sheets on the bed- to clean up.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen- Mana and a Stupid Holiday

"So, any word from your heroes?" Charmcaster asked as she nibbled a piece of toast the next morning. She was making a great show of reading the back of a cereal box, which was odd since she wasn't even eating cereal.

"No." Gwen answered simply, spreading cream cheese on her bagel. She hadn't heard a word from her friends since last night. She had hoped, since they were so close to Anodyne, that they would have some news by now…

She sighed, audibly.

"Patience is a virtue." Charmcaster muttered, a small smile playing on her dark lips. Gwen wasn't sure if she was being serious or suggestive.

"Look, it's only a matter of time before I… slip, again." Gwen said, emphasizing her words with her butter knife. She had been mulling this over in her bed that morning, and was determined to have an honest-to-god heart-to-heart with Charmcaster. "We need to show some solidarity, here; we're both in danger. If I end up switching with some dangerous version of me…"

"I'll make sure to get as far away as possible."

"Not exactly the 'solidarity' I was looking for." Gwen muttered. She shook her head. How could she make Charmcaster understand? "Look, my Grandpa Max stuck around here on Earth, just in case I had a real emergency. At the very least, give him a call if I, well…"

"Try renovating your house again?" Charmcaster asked with her eyebrows raised. Her eyes flicked towards the front of the house, where thin plastic sheeting covered the holes that had not yet been completely fixed.

"Exactly. Although, I would appreciate your help… it would take a skilled Mana-user like you to stop me if I went on the war path." There. Slap on a little bit of flattery to sweeten the deal.

It seemed to work, and Charmcaster sat up a little straighter in the kitchen chair. "Well… as long as you make sure I don't come back as someone who does really embarrassing things." She answered.

"Embarrassing things?"

"Er, yes."

"…Like?"

"…like, maybe…" Charmcaster mumbled something Gwen didn't quite catch.

"What was that?"

"Showtunes…"

"What?"

"SING SHOWTUNES, alright!?"

Gwen tried hard not to laugh, and to give the situation all the solemnity that it deserved. "And this… this happened to you?" She barely managed to say through the grin on her face.

"It's not funny."

"No, of course not. And I promise, that if you start belting out songs from Grease…"

"Hello Dolly, as I was told."

Ok, now Gwen could feel actual tears in the corner of her eyes in her effort not to laugh. "Hmm. Yep. Even then, I promise I won't let you wander the streets."

"Thanks."

"Absolutely."

The girl's sat in silence for the rest of breakfast, Charmcaster trying to look dignified as she ate her food and no doubt regretted her decision to share details from her "travels."

…..

Ship's screeching announced the arrival of the Anodite, waking Kevin with such force that he fell out of his bed. Lovely.

Kevin came stumbling out of the tiny room and onto the bridge, rubbing at his eyes. How long had he slept? "Is it the same one? Lenya?" He asked, announcing his presence to his two ship-mates.

Ben swiveled in his seat, keeping his eyes trained on the screen. "Um… they all kinda look alike, don't they?"

"Wow. Racist." Julie said, jokingly, and laughed when Ben gave her an alarmed look. "And no, I can't tell either. You're right- it could be anyone."

The Anodite in question was quite close by now, and the zoomed-in version on Ship's screen didn't help add any identifying marks. The best they could tell was that it was female. Probably. Kevin thought he saw some curves, but who's?

There was a pop, a flash of pink, and the floor shook a little as the purple being appeared on Ship's bridge.

The Anodite didn't look happy.

"Why on Earth would you come here!?" The- now obviously female- voice asked. It was a familiar voice.

"Er… hi grandma." Ben tried, waving a hand at her.

She shook her head at him. "Ben. By any chance, have you found yourself brimming with hidden Anodite powers?"

"No, not particularly."

Verdona sighed dramatically. "It can't be helped. Although, if that is not the case, why would you risk coming to someplace as dangerous as this? If even one Anodite decided they didn't like you being here… well, you wouldn't have been here anymore."

"It's about Gwen," Ben began quickly. Kevin and Julie were only too happy to let Ben have the lead on this one- Verdona was ignoring them anyways.

"Gwen? Did she decide to come home!?" Verdona asked excitedly, spinning around as if she expected to see a bright purple/pink version of Gwen popping out of the ceiling of Ship.

"No, grandma… she _is_ at home, now." Ben answered, a hint of annoyance seeping into his voice. "We came to ask for help…"

"Gwen isn't even here? This is disappointing. Maybe it's time I visit her, personally? Do you think she's just about had enough of Earth, yet?"

"No. Please just, like, _listen_ for a minute?" Ben fumbled, trying to speak over his grandmother's child-like manner of chattering while ignoring what others are saying.

"In fact, maybe this is the perfect time for a visit." Verdona said, eyeing Kevin for the first time. "While there are not… distractions to influence her decision."

"Grandma! Look, Gwen's in trouble, and we need to know if…"

With a pop, she was gone, leaving nothing but the dull pink glow of the planet shining through the screen into the interior of Ship.

…..

Gwen hadn't been to school for awhile. Fortunately, she had a friend drop by her homework every once in a while when missions took a long time like this. It still felt far too dangerous for her to be in a classroom full of other kids, so she was currently working on AP Calculus homework on the living room couch.

Or rather, trying to.

"So, this is what you spend your time doing? We should be researching- looking for ways to end this curse." Charmcaster was whining, filing down a nail in the chair to the right of Gwen.

Gwen fought the urge to roll her eyes. "You have already looked through your books, and I have looked through mine. There is nothing listed anywhere about unintentional dimension hopping. What would you have us do next, hmm?"

Charmcaster clucked her tongue. "No need for the attitude, hon. Have we talked to the plumbers, yet?"

"Yes. Grandpa Max already asked if anyone else had heard anything about this. Nothing. Magic is not their forte."

"True enough. Hmm…" Charmcaster thought, chewing on her newly-filed nail in thought. "Have we tried-"

POP!

The sound was crisp, and so was the flash of pink light. Both Gwen and Charmcaster flinched automatically, dreading another dimension hop.

However, Gwen had certainly not been expecting her Grandmother to suddenly appear in all her Anodite glory in the middle of her living room.

"Uh… hi." She managed, her eyebrows drawn together in concern. This did not bode well. Where were her friends?

"Gwen, darling!" Verdona said, her face breaking into a wide purple smile. Charmcaster had jumped to her feet, adopting a stance ready to throw Mana-balls. She still hadn't dropped her awkward pose, and the Anodite looked over at her. "Ah, a lesser Mana-being. Better company than most of the corporeal beings you surround yourself with."

Gwen could see the time spent on her own planet had once again left her grandma as difficult to deal with as ever. Honestly, what her grandpa had ever seen in the woman…

"Well, are you ready to go? The Anaryme festival is about to begin, so this is the perfect time for you to choose to shed that annoying mortal skin."

"No, grandma, we talked about this."

'Grandma?' Charmcaster mouthed from across the room, her fists still up and her face registering shock.

Gwen ignored her, focusing on the large purple problem instead. "I'm not ready to leave. Actually, I'm in a big rush to stay, if anything."

"Oh?" Verdona asked, and for the first time ever Gwen saw confusion flash across the energy-being's face. "How so?"

Gwen, finally having her complete attention, launched into her story.

…..

"So… now what?" Julie asked, breaking the silence that had descended upon Verdona's abrupt departure.

"This was a bad idea." Bed stated obviously, frowning

.

"Look, we don't have time to moan over how we failed- we need to get back as soon as possible. It's been too long; we don't know when Gwen's gonna slip again." Kevin said, returning to his usual seat for travel at the control panel.

"So, we just turn around? With nothing?" Ben asked, frustrated.

"We don't really have a choice. What chance do you think any of us have against a whole planet full of Verdona's? And do we really want to wait for Lenya to return and decide it's time to destroy us? We're useless here." Kevin answered, feeling his blood boil at the admission.

Useless.

"And… what if my grandmother's changed her mind about letting Gwen choose for herself whether or not to stay? She sounded an awful lot like she was headed to Earth." Ben added, giving Kevin a meaningful look.

Crap.

This really had been a bad idea.

….

When Gwen finished speaking, she didn't receive the reaction she had been hoping for. At all. In fact, Verdona started _laughing_.

"Grandma! It's not funny! I almost died- twice."

Charmcaster was now thoroughly enjoying the situation, a smirk on her lips as she watched the interaction between the two. It's not every day one got to see such interesting Tennyson family interactions, afterall.

"Gwendolyn, darling, listen to yourself? You're acting like something as simple as Anaryme is somehow _harmful_ to you! The very thought… you really are still a child in so many ways, aren't you? If you would just come with me to complete your education…"

"Whoa. Wait. Anaryme?" Charmcaster asked, all mirth dissolved from her face. "That sounds… familiar somehow."

Verdona spared the girl a glance. "Yes, I imagine it's mentioned in some of these silly little spell books Gwen insists in keeping. It's not a very regular occurrence, though- only once every thousand years."

"And what is it, exactly?" Gwen asked, her analytical mind trying to gather as much info as possible. Her grandmother did have answers for her! Maybe she could fix this, afterall?

"It's a celebration of all the Energy in existence calibrating! Everything, everywhere, every time, and every dimension is interconnected. Oh, Gwen, if only you could feel it like I do…"

Gwen made a motion with her hands for her Grandmother to continue.

"All Energy is touching base, in a way. In order for everything to remain interconnected, Energy is always moving and flowing, but during Anaryme that process speeds up. Mana breaks through from one world to the next, touching this plane for a brief instant. To the Anodites, this is a very pleasant experience- we can feel ourselves, mirrored in other worlds, and we exchange Mana through the connection. It renews us."

"But, hypothetically, for beings with an Anodite's ability to manipulate Mana and a physical body…"

Verdona frowned. "You know, it's not really something that comes up too much. Afterall, this event is only once in a thousand years- and an Anodite having a physical child is so rare. Even rarer that somewhere down the line, the Anodite blood actually shows up! You have such a gift Gwen, and you don't even realize..."

"So what about me?" Charmcaster asked, eyeing the old woman with caution. "I'm no Anodite."

"No, dear, you _obviously_ are not. You are one fraction of a step closer to my kind, however, than to other material-plane beings. Your kind feels Mana too. Your lack of longevity, however, probably means that after a thousand years your people just forget about Anaryme, burying in the tomb of ancient memory."

"So, what can we do about this?" Gwen asked, getting to the point.

"About what?"

"Oh, I don't know." Charmcaster said, slipping back into her usual sarcasm. "Perhaps she's referring to the incredible pain and suffering we're going through, being attacked or watching the world go wrong in other dimensions? Maybe that's it?"

Verdona frowned. "Tut tut. Such attitude. Kids today." She sighed. "It's really very simple- lose your body, Gwen, and you won't have to worry anymore. You-" she pointed at Charmcaster, "-should still probably worry, though."

Was it Gwen's imagination, or did Charmcaster actually grow paler at that pronouncement?

Gwen shook her head. "Not going through this again Grandma- I'm. Keeping. This. Body."

"Then, my dear, I'm afraid you're just going to have to… what was the phrase? Suck it up?"

….

Kevin munched on the granola bar with disdain. Julie. She had said, "Sure, I have food for the trip covered. Don't even worry about it."

Who, exactly, categorized "granola bars" as "food?" Girls. That's who.

Sigh.

Even in the process of eating it, Kevin was rifling through the kitchen, hoping to scare up something better to eat. The kitchen was small, and he was sure he had checked all TWO cabinets thoroughly, but he still held out hope.

It was his shift to sleep, but his stomach was just too empty for the task. They had three days left. Three days of granola bars.

Julie. He would really have to have a word with her. In fact, this seemed like the perfect time. Maybe, just maybe, she had a secret stash of _actual food_ somewhere.

He hunkered towards the bridge, in a foul mood.

"Ah!"

He heard the sound, making him pause. Suddenly he moved a little faster, walking quickly back to the bridge. Was there trouble?

And that's how Kevin busted in on this scene: Julie, sitting in Ben's _lap_, her shirt discarded onto the floor, and Ben's hands quite obviously placed beneath her bra. Julie was grinding down in turn, making small noises.

That's when she saw _him_ from over Ben's shoulder and a look of horror flashed over her face.

Kevin, in an attempt to salvage the situation somewhat, slapped a hand over his eyes, dropping the horrible bar of not-food in the process. "I didn't see anything, I swear!" He managed, though honestly there may have been a slight nip-slip somewhere in that scene.

"Kevin!" Ben managed, surprised.

"Yeah, I heard noises, so I thought I'd make sure nothing was wrong… which in retrospect was not a very smart idea." Kevin was at a point, now, where he was trying not to grin at the stupid situation. It was pretty damn funny- somehow he had never imagined Ben and Julie as the "get it on in the middle of the Bridge" kinda couple. Oh, well, they're only human.

Keeping the hand placed at his eyes, he fought back a laugh as he said, "I'll just be going to bed now. As planned. Please, feel free to continue, I won't bother you again." He lost the fight and started laughing as he walked back down the hallway, Julie's voice echoing as she gave Ben a lecture that sounded something like "I told you we should have waited until he was asleep! I think he saw my boob…"

….

Gwen and Charmcaster were both sitting on Gwen's bed, legs crossed, books in their laps.

When Verdona had gone home, she had left the girls a big helping of hopelessness. There was nothing they could do but wait it out.

A year. That's how long the stupid Mana-flowing holiday lasted. It was almost too much for Gwen to process.

Thank god- and here's a thought she never imagined she would have- for Charmcaster. The girl hadn't wasted a moment on self-pity, instead quickly exclaiming, "The books!"

Right. Now they knew exactly what to call what they were looking for- Anaryme. Surely they could find something useful in there, maybe a way to block the events effects on them?

Gwen's eyes were glowing the same shade of pink as Charmcaster's as she used Mana to keyword-search through each book.

She gasped. "I have a hit!" She cried, her power flipping the correct page open immediately. A little sign passed through Charmcaster's lips as she let her own power slip. She was a lot slower than Gwen, and had to say a lot more "magic words" to make her power work.

The two Mana-users squished together, sharing the book between them and reading quickly.

"Anaryme… otherworlder holiday…Magic is said to be stronger on this day? That's it?" Charmcaster asked, disgust clearly on her face. "I don't feel any more powerful."

"Me neither." Gwen was now certain of one thing: her grandmother was right. The truth faded with time, and whoever had written these ancient books were not ancient enough.

"I think-"

But whatever Gwen was about to say was cut off by a bright flash of pink.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen: Sex

BAM!

The moment Gwen opened her eyes she was hit with something. Hard.

The next thing she felt was her stomach dropping as she began to fall, the impact causing her to tip over a ledge.

It was disorienting. She was falling, and her arm was numb enough to let her know it was probably dislocated. Great. Yet another injury.

"Gwen!" A voice called. It was almost familiar, but as she tumbled rapidly toward the waiting ground she couldn't quite place it.

She was about to conjure up a bubble to help her fly out of this mess when something swooped down and grabbed her.

"I gotcha!" Ben's Big Chill said in his raspy voice. "And… wow, what did you do with your hair?"

"Nice catch Ben!" The same not-quite-familiar voice called down, and Gwen looked up at what she realized was a tall cell-phone tower. Something gigantic slithered across the side of it, moving with an odd liquid speed that contradicted it's immense size. It had a long whipping tail, and exoskeleton armor.

_That_ looked familiar. It was that strange creature they had all fought before!

Near the top, far too close to the creature, was a woman. Gwen couldn't make out more than that… Charmcaster? Maybe? It was dark, but the figure seemed to be clad all in black, which fit her style pretty well.

Ben started flying up, carrying Gwen. "Kevin!" he yelled in his transformed voice. "Gwen did it again! We have to leave!"

Kevin? Of course, he had to be around somewhere. But where?

"But the creature…!" the girl called down, roughly. Almost as if it understood them, the giant monster gave one final roar and vanished.

Just like last time.

Was the creature going through tears made by Mana? Slipping through dimensions- no, being forcibly _pulled_ through dimensions? That would make sense… Her grandmother did say there were holes where the Mana was being transferred between worlds.

The girl high up let out an angry yell as the thing vanished, swearing loudly. "FINE!" She yelled down. "Get in the car!"

Was she talking to Kevin? Gwen still couldn't see him.

Ben landed on the ground, and sure enough there was Kevin's prized car. It looked a little shinier in this world, maybe…

Ben set her down gently, then raised his hand to hit the omnitrix. He paused, as if thinking better of it.

"Ok, two questions, first: One- are you evil? And Two- are you, uh… a girl?"

Gwen blinked. Those were two of the strangest things she had ever heard. "No, and… yes? Yes, I am certainly a girl. Why?"

"Um… well, our Gwen's been flipping through dimensions lately, have you…"

"Yes, I've had the same problem."

"Good, so we're, uh… on the same page. You know how some dimensions are different? Well, to us, you look very, very different."

Gwen looked down at herself. Other than her arm hanging uselessly at her side, and her clothing hanging off a little baggy, she thought she looked presentable.

"Look, just, don't freak out." Ben said, and smacked the omnitrix. In a flash, he was human again.

Or rather, _she_ was human again.

"Yeah." Ben said, his voice high but still somehow distinctly Ben. She took in the look on Gwen's face. "That's pretty much my reaction, too."

…

"Oh, god, please tell me this isn't some horrible world where the two of us are shacking up or something." Gwen said, staring at the face of Charmcaster sitting on the bed in front of him.

Charmcaster stared back at first, then just started to laugh. "Oh, this is too good. Oh, oh, oh. I have GOT to contact the nerd-patrol in space with this one!" She said, grabbing Gwen's computer off the desk.

"Hey, don't touch that! That's mine! I mean… this world me's."

"Relax. Let's just say that you and I are working together temporarily to fix a rather problematic series of events…"

"The dimension hopping."

"Ah, good, so you're in the loop." Charmcaster said, flipping through files on the laptop. Finally, she clicked on a jpeg, and a picture popped up. "This," she swiveled the screen around to Gwen, "Is you in this world."

"I'm a girl!" Boy-Gwen said, flabbergasted.

"Captain obvious. Yes. Only now, you're not. Which is why I just sent a call to your friends in space. They have. Got. To. See. THIS!"

"Whoa… so, what about my friends? What are they?"

"Annoying, mostly." Charmcaster answered without answering.

Gwen frowned. Charmcaster was every bit as frustrating in this world as in his own. Well, maybe a little less, since the last time they met they were trying to kill each other.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Kevin asked as he finally answered Ship's phone. Charmcaster grinned, making sure the screen was turned towards only her.

"Oh, good. Just the person I hoped would answer."

"Quit messing around. Where's Gwen?"

Gwen peeked around the corner of the screen, and let out a strange screeching groan upon seeing Kevin's face. "That's Kevin!? Ugh. I don't know if I can handle being in this world long…"

…..

Ok, yes, Kevin was not happy to find that Gwen had switched with a very male version of Gwen.

He comforted himself with the fact that at least she would probably have switched back by the time they returned. Plus… his Gwen would at least be somewhere safe, as this Gwen assured them all.

"Don't worry, Kevin and Ben will look after her." Male-Gwen smiled, leaning into the screen. "Is that Julie? Hi Julie!" he said happily, waving. Julie waved back, just a little too comfortable with the situation. "You haven't changed much- I think you have longer hair in my world, though."

Julie smirked at Ben. "See, in his world I'm still a girl. I think I win at this dimension."

"But… then… I'm a girl… are we…" Ben had to asked, glance back and forth between Julie and Gwen.

Gwen shrugged. "Are you a couple in this world, too? That's cute."

Charmcaster was laughing off-screen. Gwen frowned at her. "How exactly does this-world-me put up with her?"

"Endless patience." Ben said, rolling his eyes.

Gwen sighed, putting a hand to his head to push some of his hair back. It was a fancy stylish cut, just long enough to get in his eyes. "If I know my Kevin, she's throwing a fit right now. I've been flipping worlds for weeks, and we're no closer to finding out what's wrong now than we were at the beginning."

"I bet you make a beautiful lady, Kevin!" Charmcaster's voice rang out off-camera again, amidst a stream of bubbling laughter.

Gwen narrowed his eyes at her. "She'd kick your ass, that's for sure. Kevin's not so hot on the 'beauty' thing. She's more into the 'beat down the bad guys' thing."

Kevin couldn't help but feel a small twinge of pride at that. What could he say? In any dimension, he just rocked.

"Well… she also tends to be big in the "wear sexy tight leather" thing." Gwen finished, another wave of giggles pouring out of Charmcaster.

"I can't believe this. Really." Kevin said, poking Gwen's shoulder as if expecting her to vanish in a puff of smoke.

"Ow." She said, brushing away her hand. Kevin was a girl. A very _busty_, black-leather clad, pony-tailed, girl. This world was very strange, but at least she was relatively safe here. If this world's version of her had been dimension-skipping too, then how long would this trade last?

"That hurts."

"Sounds like Gwen." Kevin said, smirking. "Don't be such a wimp."

"Knock it off, Kevin." Ben said, rubbing her forehead. "This is as strange for her as it is for us."

That was for certain.

She couldn't help but study her two formerly-male companions. The way they moved, the inflections in their voices… they were all the same. Even their names.

"How in the world are your name's girl names?" Gwen asked, perplexed.

Ben gave her a strange look, then flicked her gaze to Kevin, who shrugged.

"Why wouldn't they be?" Kevin asked.

"Of course." Gwen sighed. "Don't know why I asked." Everything was the same, it seemed, except for their sex. And hers, apparently.

Too strange.

Kevin had the same eyes, deep and almost black… but everything else was softer and curvier. Gwen was a little annoyed to notice that Kevin had the bigger cup size, too. Ugh.

This was going to be a long skip.

….

Ok, his parents were a little freaked out. Er… her parents. The other Gwen's. Male-Gwen was not having a super easy time. His parents were in the kitchen, getting dinner ready, and it seemed like they were trying not to talk with Gwen as much as possible, their avoidance tactics going so far as to skip watching the latest "Dancing with the Stars," something Gwen knew his mom loved.

Charmcaster was, however, watching with him, doing her best to ruin the show by making snide comments about each of the actors in turn.

"Ugh. That dress makes her look so fat. Why would they pick that?"

Gwen rolled her eyes. The tiny actress did not look fat. "You're out of your mind. The feathers are cute. Now, that guy's shoes are another matter."

"Hmm…" Charmcaster said, looking quite serious as she took the comment into consideration. "True. You should always go with black. You can't go wrong with black."

Gwen thought of Kevin, then, and his heart fluttered. He sighed. This skip was taking much too long- he wanted to be back in his own world, with his own Kevin. Maybe making up that movie date they never had…?

Charmcaster was giving him a strange, studying look.

"What?"

"You're very… feminine."

"I'm WHAT?"

She laughed. "Just noticing, it's like our Gwen never left. You act exactly the same as her. You notice _shoes_."

"So? Why is it strange for a guy to notice shoes?"

"Oh, no reason."

"This is breaking news with your hosts here at CFG8!" The TV blared. "It seems we've had some unusual activity in the Hammond area. Police are calling it a gas leak, but our reporter on the scene tells a different story. Trish?" the screen flicks to a woman standing outside of small residential area. People are running past her in droves, screaming. The scene is dark, and most of the streetlights have gone out. "Thanks Tom. I'm standing as close as possible to the Hammond area south side cell towers. It seems there was some kind of disturbance…"

"Hey, lady, you need to move!" A man yells from off-screen.

The field reporter maintains her composure, ignoring him. "We have word that the tower has fallen, taking out several power lines will it. People are being asked to evacuate- no word yet on why. It seems…" the screen grew fuzzy, then popped back into focus. "…gas leak, but from what I've gathered from people this is actually the work of some kind of giant…" Fuzz again.

Gwen was already out the door, Charmcaster inexplicably following close at his heels.

…..

"So… how exactly are we supposed to deal with _that_?" Charmcaster asked, looking up at the roof of the pizza parlor.

This area was unfamiliar to Male-Gwen; it was a couple towns over, and the two had had to… um… "borrow" his dad's car to get there as quick as they could. Gwen hoped he didn't get in trouble for that… then again, could his parents punish him? He wasn't really their Gwen, afterall.

By the time they arrived, people were making themselves scarce, and a trail of damage was left in the monster's wake.

It was the same creature Gwen had been fighting with his Kevin and Ben in his own world. He knew it wouldn't be easy.

"We wait for grandpa Max." He had called him when they were on the way over, guessing it would be something like this. He gave Charmcaster a strange look. "Though I am surprised to see you here. Are you and me, in this world, becoming _friends_ or something?"

"Oh, gross. Being friends, with you or her, is just a horrible thought. I'm here because we have an understanding: I'll help her out when she's switched, and she'll help me in return. If you go fight some monster and die, I'm thinking the other Gwen will be kinda angry with me. I need her. If I don't have her help… then I'm all alone." Charmcaster shrugged, looking at the ground. "I'll do what I can, but keep in mind I'm not gonna die to stop that thing. If your grandfather is about as useless as your grandmother was, then I'm outta here."

It was only a matter of minutes before the Rust Bucket arrived. Gwen watched the creature destroy the pizza parlor in dismay. No use engaging it before they have the firepower to take it down- at least, as long as it's not threatening human life.

Grandpa Max came running out the door, balancing two large alien guns that looked unnervingly like rocket launchers.

"Gwen! Here!" He threw him one of the weapons, and Gwen caught the heavy thing easily. If the old man was at all fazed by his granddaughter's appearance, he didn't show it. He was once a plumber- he'd seen stranger in his lifetime. "You need to make your way to the other side of the creature. I'll signal you when it's time to fire- we both need to hit it at the same time." He looked over at Charmcaster, one eyebrow raised. "And you need to provide a distraction so Gwen can make it there. Are you up for it?"

"Child's play." Charmcaster said, her air of confidence undermined by the small squeak she let out as the monster smashed it's tail into another building, roaring.

Grandpa Max nodded. "Good, then Gwen-go! The quicker we are, the less chance it'll notice us."

…..

Female Gwen was getting ready for bed. Her clothing was horribly big, and in the end she had to borrow some pajama bottoms from her- er, his… the other Gwen's mom to avoid them falling down. The plan was just for her to lay low. She had told the girl's- that still sounded weird even in her head- everything she knew about Anaryme. They would talk about it more over slushies tomorrow, but Gwen doubted they would come up with any other useful tactic. Like Verdona said- she just had to suck it up. Deal with it. One whole year of weirdness… it almost made her hope she'd be stuck in this world as long as possible. At least then there would be less of a chance she'd be sent into another horror-world.

This sex-swap world was harmless. Sure, there were the same alien fights, but everyone seemed just as powerful as in her own world. Kevin was still osmosian, Ben still had the omnitrix, and she, of course, still had her powers. She was as safe with this Ben and Kevin as she was with her own.

Taptaptap.

Gwen started, sitting up in bed quickly. That sound came from her window. She walked over, staring at the grinning person crouched there.

'Open up.' The girl mouthed from the other side of the glass.

Shaking herself out of her shock, Gwen opened the window, letting in a cool breeze and a very female Kevin Levin.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, wondering if there was some kind of emergency. No, if it was an emergency, she would have just called…

"Your parents don't really seem to like me." She said with a shrug, grabbing a book off Gwen's shelf and jumping into her bed ungracefully. "So I usually just visit you like this. I left my book here last time."

"You come here to… read."

Kevin smirked, and there was something a little mischievous about it. "Not usually. But I'm really more of a night owl- I need something to do after Gwen falls asleep."

Gwen could feel her cheeks heating, and she looked around for somewhere to sit that wasn't on the bed with girl-Kevin. She settled for the chair at her desk, swiveling it around.

"What, don't I do that in your world? How else do you get any alone time around here?"

Gwen cleared her throat. "Well, uh.. that's really none of your business."

"Holy crap you're a virgin." Kevin blurted, smirking as if this were a gigantic revelation. "Whoa. Boy me moves slow, huh? I guess we're not exactly alike."

Gwen really didn't want to have this conversation. "I don't-"

"Or maybe you're the one who's just a little less forward? We've been in so many battles together, we all could die any day, and you two still haven't had sex!? That must be very sad for you."

Why was girl-Kevin so annoying?

And why did Gwen almost feel like agreeing with that statement?

She sighed. "Again- not your business. Please get off my bed."

Kevin rolled her eyes. "Fine, but a word of advice: I'm fantastic in bed. Just saying. You should, like, give that a go when you get home." And with that eloquent wisdom, she winked and disappeared out the window, book in hand.

**A/N: Yes, I am evil for the title of this chapter! I promise some fun stuff next time, though!**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen- Go for a Ride

"NOW!" Grandpa Max's voice rang through the small earpiece Gwen had put in. He pulled back on the handle of the device in his hands, still unsure of what exactly it would do.

Charmcaster stopped annoying the giant creature with her pin-needle strokes of pink lightning she had been throwing at it. It couldn't hurt the thing past it's tough exterior, but it was certainly creating a diversion. The girl had barely escaped being smacked with that tail several times, and Gwen winced every time.

The missal-launcher-looking weapon in his hands hummed before letting out a violent burst of neon-yellow light. From the far side of the whip-tail, Gwen saw grandpa Max do the same. The two bursts of light smacked into the creature, but instead of exploding as Gwen expected the beam to do, it split into two streams. Then four. Then five. Then rapidly into more than he could count. The beams formed a giant net, fusing together at the center of the creature, entrapping it.

The creature stopped moving, completely immobilized by the glowing yellow net.

Gwen let out a "Whoop!," which was echoed by his two companions.

The world flashed pink.

…

Gwen stared, open-mouthed, at what they had captured. She saw Charmcaster coming quickly towards her, waving excitedly.

How had she and Charmcaster taken down the creature? Even when she had her full team, they had failed to beat it. She noticed she was holding a large empty capsule, and everything became clear: Grandpa Max. He had really saved the day.

Gwen expected Charmcaster to stop and explain things in her calm, sarcastic manner once she reached her. What she didn't expect was for the white-haired girl to throw her arms around her and jump for joy.

"What a thrill! We did it! We took it down! Down town! Total defeat! I've never seen anything so fantastic!" She cheered, laughing.

Gwen gave her an examining look. She looked like the regular Charmcaster… "Hello? Are you still my-world Charmcaster? What's gotten into you?" Gwen asked.

Charmcaster rolled her eyes. "Fine. Be that way. I've never fought something so big before- I thought it was a rather touching 'teamwork' moment, which is kinda a new concept to me, but if you don't even care…"

"I, uh, kinda missed most of the teamwork parts."

"Oh. Right." She sighed, looking towards the monster.

Grandpa Max made his way around the creature, and said he had called someone to come pick it up. The plumbers were apparently rather interested in a creature they'd never heard of before…

"Well," Charmcaster began, stretching an arm out over her head sleepily. "We Tivo'ed Dancing with the Stars. Let's go finish watching it. I'm curious to find out what you think about a certain gentleman's shoes…"

….

Any minute now they would land. Kevin tapped his knuckles against the control panel, anxious. Gwen had told them that her and Charmcaster had indeed had a run-in with Verdona, and that they had some news about what was happening. Then there was the famous call about Gwen being a man. Yeah. Kevin didn't really want to remember that one, so much.

"So, we land, have a little "Team Omnitrix" meeting, and then eat as much actual food as humanly possible." Ben said, smiling as Julie hit him lightly on the shoulder.

"I didn't realize you boys would eat so _much_! Plus, granola is a food."

"Next time I'll handle packing." Ben answered.

"No way. We'll be eating greasy junk the whole time. 'Julie countered, making a face.

"Sounds good to me." Kevin chimed in.

Julie just rolled her eyes and muttered "boys" under her breathe.

Ship was humming, obviously happy to be home, as it landed on the hot dessert sand.

….

Gwen was waiting in the middle of the dessert, a tiny speck next to Charmcaster, Grandpa Max, and the Rust Bucket.

"So, the plumbers were not too happy when they arrived and the creature disappeared, huh?" Charmcaster said, casually starting up a conversation with Grandpa Max. Who would have ever thought that would happen?

The old man sighed, shaking his head. "We should have expected it, but the plumbers don't like being called in for false-alarms any more than any other authority in the universe."

Gwen could see it, now, the small black speck on Ship breaking through the atmosphere. It wouldn't be long, now. Moments.

She brought a hand to her face, shielding her eyes from the sun and squinting to watch Ship land. Ship's happy whirring slowed and finally faded as it settled onto the ground, and from it's side shot a staircase. The moment the whirling circular door opened up on the side, Gwen was jogging the few yards forward towards it.

Just as she hoped, Kevin was the first to exit.

She picked up her pace, almost knocking him down as she threw her arms around his middle. He hesitated, as if surprised by her burst of enthusiasm, then returned the gesture, wrapping his arms around her small back. He smelled nice. Like motor oil and the sharp hint of metal and something very distinctively _Kevin_. Gwen couldn't believe how much she had missed this, and without a thought for anyone else present she pulled him down for a kiss by the collar of his T-shirt.

His lips molded to hers, moving against her lightly as he kissed her back, his arms wrapping a little tighter around her waist.

"Ahem." Ben said from behind them, clearing his throat obviously. "Glad to see a happy reunion and all, but you're blocking the stairs."

Gwen pulled back, a little embarrassed, and turned to her cousin. "Ben!" Gwen exclaimed happily. She moved past Kevin and gave her cousin a small hug. "You dweeb." She muttered with a laugh, too happy to see everyone again to be embarrassed at her outburst. Julie threw her own arms around Gwen before she could get a chance to get past Ben, trapping him in the hug.

"I've been stuck with the _boys_ for weeks, Gwen! I am so excited to see your smiling, properly exfoliated face!"

Gwen walked the rest of the way down the stairs, coming down to stand next to Kevin where he waited at the bottom. He was gazing towards the Rust Bucket with a frown on his face, his eyes on Charmcaster. The other girl was standing with the most confident posture possible- her hand on her jaunted hip and her head held high. But Gwen had come to know her enough in the past couple weeks to see the signs that she was actually very insecure. She was hanging back behind Grandpa Max, her eyes seeking Gwen's for assurance.

"Kevin." Gwen said, placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked down at her, the frown remaining frozen where it was. "She's on our side now. She helped take down a pretty big monster… She's changed."

"No, I don't think so. I think she'll stick around until we're not useful anymore." Ben answered, coming up to stand on the other side of Gwen.

Gwen shot her cousin a disapproving look. Shaking her head, she turned to Kevin.

"Don't look at me- I agree with Ben."

Gwen, with an exasperated groan, stomped away from the group (quite a feat in the squishy sand), and walked the short distance over to Charmcaster. The pale girl glared over her shoulder at Ship's returning crew.

"They're not happy."

"Well, you're staying at _my_ house, so their opinion doesn't matter on this one."

"Which is…?" Charmcaster asked, folding her arms over her chest. No doubt it was a gesture meant to look tough, but to Gwen it looked as if she were shielding herself from scrutiny. "Let me guess- that I'll betray you the moment the opportunity arises?" She sniffed, looking off to some indiscriminate point in the distance. "Well, they're probably right."

"You don't mean that."

"Of course I do. This," She indicated the two of them, her hand moving rapidly, "is not a friendship. We hate each other."

"I don't think that's true, anymore." Gwen answered with a small smile. "You're annoying, but hey, so is Ben sometimes." Charmcaster barked out a little abrupt laugh at that. "And hey, you have better taste in television."

"Perhaps." Charmcaster answered noncommittally, but Gwen could see the smile still playing on the other girl's lips.

Grandpa Max had moved forward to greet the three returning travelers, and they were all returning to the Rust Bucket. Ship had shrunk back down to size, settling into Julie's arms.

….

"So, let's recap." Charmcaster exclaimed abruptly after they finished their "Anaryme" talk. "The universe is having a seriously bitchy period, and taking out it's anger on the two of us, specifically."

Gwen nodded. That was about right.

Grandpa Max sighed. "Such language from a young lady- what is the world coming to?"

Instantly, Charmcaster affixed an award-winning smile onto her face. "Sorry Max." She said sweetly, earning an approving nod from the old man in the Hawaiian shirt.

The whole interaction seemed to baffle Ben. He gave Gwen a look, but she just smiled back as if to say, 'See? Grandpa likes her.'

Kevin was silent, just sitting with his arms crossed on the small seat across from the dining table in the old SUV.

Gwen moved to go sit by him, nudging him with her shoulder.

He sighed. "A year?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yeah." Gwen said, happy that he was focused on the real trouble at hand and not the former-enemy sitting at the table.

"We can't find anything else in our books, either." Charmcaster said, popping some of the chexmix Grandpa Max had put on the table into her mouth. "So, we're pretty much stuck. One year."

"Well, now it's more like ten months…" Gwen added, trying to stay positive.

"And two weeks." The blond finished.

"That isn't chexmix." Ben chose that moment to say, a small vindictive smile on his face as Charmcaster noticed the dried crickets in the bowl she had just eaten from and turned a little green.

….

Gwen was sure she'd be asleep before her head hit the pillow. Today had been emotionally exhausting, from her excitement at seeing her friends again to fighting to keep the peace between them and Charmcaster. It was a full-time job, considering how snarky everyone involved was.

Except Julie. Gwen appreciated her silence.

The girl had apparently told her parents she was at a tennis training camp during their excursion. It occurred to Gwen that eventually Julie was going to have to just tell her parents about where she went with her friends. Julie was too involved in all of their alien activity lately- it was only a matter of time before her parents found out and the whole thing blew up in her face.

Gwen shook her head. At least she didn't have to worry about that. Her and Ben's parents were surprisingly cool with the whole "saving the world" hobby of theirs. Probably thanks to Grandpa Max and a pretty heavy family history.

Gwen fell into her bed, not even bothering to go under the covers.

Taptaptap.

No. She didn't just hear that.

She hardly dared to roll over and look out her window. She was just about done with late-night guests at her _second floor_ bedroom window! Why didn't anyone just use the front door, or _call,_ anymore?

She walked to the window, taking in the half-smile on Kevin's face. Her stomach did a flip-flop, remembering female-Kevin's uninvited visit and lewd implications.

She opened the window only halfway, placing her hands on her hips and cocking her head to the side.

"Hey, come on! I want to talk." Kevin said, looking annoyed as he had to crouch down further to talk under the partly-opened window.

"No way- if you come in, my parents will find out, and I'm not getting in trouble again! I'm not gonna have them walk in on anything." Gwen hissed, keeping her voice down.

Kevin's eyes widened slightly, followed by a very amused smirk, and Gwen realized what she had been implying… that they wouldn't just talk… that they would get into other mischief…

Gwen's heart beat faster as she realized something: she _wanted_ some mischief, tonight. Kevin was there, just outside her window, and while she didn't want to get into trouble again… she also really wanted to be close to him, to feel his lips on her skin and his arms around her… or maybe just to talk with him, just the two of them.

"I… I'll come out there."

"So, you want to talk on the roof, then?" Kevin asked, the annoyance in his voice clearly showing how stupid he thought that idea was.

Gwen cooled instantly and frowned, moving to shut the window.

"Hey, wait! I mean… why don't we just go for a ride?"

"Like… patrol?" Gwen asked, her hands paused on the windowsill in indecision. A patrol. Her parents were ok with her going out on patrol. That was legit- _strictly professional_.

"Pretty much the same thing, I'd say. A drive at night, patrol… po-te-to, po-ta-to."

Gwen bit her lip, looking thoughtfully over her shoulder as if she expected her parents to burst in at any moment. Finally, she made her decision. "Ok, just give me a moment to change."

"Sure." Kevin said, a little too enthusiastically, and sat exactly where he was on the roofing outside her window.

With a heavy roll of her eyes, Gwen dropped the blinds before she got undressed.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Ok, so finally **_**some**_** lemony goodness for my esteemed reviewers! **

Chapter Nineteen- The "I Love You" Prerequisite

The rhythmic flash of the streetlights as they drove was almost hypnotic, and Gwen was again reminded how tired she was.

But then, at the same time, she had never felt so awake. She had ridden in the same spot next to Kevin for a long time, night after night of patrols… but it never felt quite like this. Was she imagining the tension?

Was she imagining how badly she wanted to make him pull over and kiss her?

"I missed you." She settled on saying, tapping her lower lip as she stared out the window in front of her.

"Yeah… me too."

The silence that was usually comfortable and peaceful in the car was now heavy with unspoken words. Gwen could feel it, like something palpable… but she had no idea what she wanted to say.

The streetlights stopped as they got further from the city. They weren't going anywhere in particular- just away.

She could feel her pulse quicken more and more as the silence stretched, and she rubbed her arms unconsciously.

"Cold?" Kevin asked, turning on the heat without waiting for her reply.

"I dreamed about you." Gwen blurted, immediately wishing she could suck the words right back in.

Kevin grinned, and opened his mouth to make what was no doubt a jibing remark. He looked over at Gwen, and it seemed as if the words stuck in his throat.

"Oh." Was all he said, turning his eyes back to watch the road..

Did she look that obvious? She could feel her face heating up, and hoped Kevin couldn't see that well in the darkness of the car. "I… thought a lot about you, too." Kevin said, his voice low.

Yeah, there was definitely something hanging in the air between them. Gwen didn't need to be a Mana-user to know that. There was something in his tone, something guttural and deep, that seemed to rouse something inside her. She tapped her fingers against the ledge of the door in a rhythmic sound of clicking nails. She couldn't think… and at the same time she was over-thinking everything.

"Pull over." Gwen said cleary, amazed once again at her outburst of bravery. Or stupidity. Whichever this was.

Kevin did as she asked, surprisingly without comment, pulling the car to the side of the dark road.

Gwen didn't let the silence continue after that. The car had barely been put into park before she lunged toward Kevin, pressing her lips frantically to his.

She had no idea how she had survived without this. Not just the past couple weeks. Before that, when she knew how she felt about him but didn't express it.

Or maybe those feelings weren't the same as the one's she had now? Maybe she had grown and changed, somehow, in such a short time. The way she felt about Kevin had matured into something much more breathless, and sharp, and warm. She needed him to understand. She needed him to feel the same way.

He returned the kiss just as desperately, pushing Gwen back to her seat at the same time. That was ok- she could let him be in control of the kiss.

Their tongues danced, his plunging into her mouth and exploring. He placed a hand on the back of her neck, pulling her face forward even as he leaned further over her. Half his body was now in her seat as well, and his other hand was groping for something along the side…

_Schwip!_

Her seat flew back as Kevin pulled the seat release, causing Gwen to gasp against his lips in surprise. He grinned against her, as well, neither losing the momentum of their passionate kiss. His hands, now completed with the task of making more room in the car for them, began to roam.

She let them. She encouraged him, running her own hands up his sides, as she realized that what she wanted wasn't _just a kiss_. She wasn't even sure _what_ she wanted… there was something she needed to understand, something she wanted to make him understand.

Gwen remembered her dream exactly as Kevin's hand moved past the base of her shirt and up underneath. She felt that familiar warmth below her abdomen, and squirmed in her seat without realizing it in an effort to tame it. Her breathe was labored, and not just because they could barely break contact long enough to breath.

She wanted his hand to travel higher.

She wanted his hand to travel lower.

She wanted him, everywhere at once, and it was almost too difficult to bare the wait.

_For what?_ What did she think was going to happen tonight?

She shut up the little voice in her head speaking _reason_. She didn't need _reason_, right now. She just wanted that warmth to continue, to be swallowed up by the feeling brewing up inside.

His hand moved to her bra, tracing the edge for a moment before sliding under. Calloused mechanic's fingers brushed against her sensitive skin clumsily, causing a jolt of tingling sensation to streak through her body. She gasped, and Kevin's mouth moved lower, kissing along her neck. His kisses were like molten lead, leaving a hot trail everywhere his mouth traveled. The sensation was unlike anything she had felt before- his kisses made her feel like she was high, her head light as he continued to stroke her breasts, moving around the sensitive nubs in gentle circles with his thumb.

"Kevin…" She murmured, her hips squirming with the overwhelming urge to be _touched_.

He pulled back slightly, looking down at her with furrowed brows…. as if worried she was telling him to back off. Whatever he saw in her expression gave him a quick answer to that thought-process, and his eyes took on a liquid, hungry sheen. She met his eyes with what she was certain was a look of desperate approval.

His expression was one she hadn't ever really seen before- so serious and so relaxed at the same time. She could feel his breathing matching her own frantic pace as his hand slid out from under her shirt and slowly…. very slowly… down to her thigh. His fingers brushed along the smooth skin at the base of her skirt, making Gwen shiver. Too long. He was taking too long.

She let out a small groan of frustration, letting her sudden impatience be known. Her own hands were placed at Kevin's shoulders, drawing him closer until he was pressed up against her completely. Her hands grabbed at his shirt, tugging and silently urging him on.

His hand slipped past the hem of her skirt and up her thigh. He stared down at her, as if judging her every reaction very carefully.

His fingers finally brushed up against the soft fabric of her panties, causing her to gasp again as she felt his presence. Her hands clenched at Kevin's shirt. _More_.

His hand slipped inside the thin piece of fabric, and when Gwen felt him move over that one magic spot where so much pressure was building she squirmed. _More_.

Hesitantly, she felt him return to that spot, his fingers stroking over the little bit of flesh.

She didn't mean to make a sound, but the satisfied, "Mmmm" escaped through her parted lips anyways.

His dark eyes flashed, watching her face carefully, as if studying her every sigh. His lips parted, his eyebrows drawn as if he were completely enthralled with her expressions. She met his dark pools were her bright green one's, clouded over with pleasure.

A finger drifted lower, dipping into her with a swift slick movement. Her moan was muffled by her chewing on her lower lip, her eyes drifting closed.

And just like that he was on her again, his own lips moving to replace hers worrying her lower lip. His fingers were clumsily moving across her in strokes, just one finger dipping in and out in a rhythm that matched their quickened breathe. He managed to hit a spot in her that made her see stars, and while she couldn't _recall_ making a sound he knew to hit it again and again, adding another finger to his thrusts.

For whatever reason, in the midst of the building, wiggling pressure, her brain began to nag at her again.

_Is this really what she should be doing?_

_Were they really at a point where this was ok_?

"Mmm... Kevin?" She whispered against his fervent kisses, her voice coming out syrupy and low and not at all as serious as her brain was telling her to speak.

There was one thing she needed to know. Something she had to hear. And it couldn't wait.

But, oh, the feeling building up, Kevin's large fingers at work, more and faster as she grew more moist… his lips, moving to kiss along her neck and over her collarbone and along the top of her shirt, leaving a blazing trail…

"K…Kevin." She sputtered, her mouth working against her body calling out for her to shut up. "I… I need…mmm…" She put a hand to his chest pushing lightly, and his head jerked up to look at her face. "Wait. Just a minute. Hold on. Only a minute." She gasped out, and almost groaned when he moved his hand away and rested it beside her in her seat.

"Are you ok?" He asked, his eyes heavy-lidded and his voice thick and gravelly.

She chewed on her lip, thinking. There was something she needed. Something, important.

"Where are we?" She asked abruptly.

Kevin blinked at her, some of the drugged look seeping from his eyes. "What?"

"I mean, the two of us. Not physically, where… just… what do you think of me?"

"_This_ is the time you want to talk about this?"

"I think this is probably the time I _need_ to talk about this."

Kevin growled, lightly, and Gwen found it incredibly sexy despite it being a sound of frustration. "When we were apart, all I could think of was you. I was worried about you… and I wanted to touch you… and kiss you…" She was losing him again, as he leaned over and brushed his lips over hers.

"And when we're together? How do you feel?"

"What are you…? Oh. _That_."

Gwen wondered if he really understood what she was saying, and he pushed himself up on his elbows, his body away from hers by inches. "I'm not really good at saying stuff like this, Gwen." He was blushing, now, and his eyes were turned away. "I kinda thought you just knew…"

"I do know. But I want to hear it."

Kevin sighed, and Gwen couldn't help but think how cute his face was when he was embarrassed. "I'm not really into saying sappy stuff…"

"I won't ask again. But if we're going to do stuff like… this… I want to hear you say it."

"Fine. I… I love you. You know that. It should go unsaid, but I do…" he kissed her, and this kiss was almost chaste in it's softness. "I love you." He whispered next to her ear, again, his dark hair brushing her face.

"I love you, too." She said, one of her hands coming up to rest on his face, brushing his hair back away from his eyes. That's what it was. That's what was wrong. Nothing could ever be wrong again, as long as she _knew_ that.

…

He'd said it. It was true, of course. He couldn't pinpoint the exact moment that it became true, but it felt like he had loved her since they were first reunited a year ago.

It just made him uncomfortable actually _saying_ it. In fact… he had never actually said that to a girl, before. No other girl had ever meant as much to him as Gwen did.

He grabbed her hand on his face, squeezing it. She was looking at him, chewing on her bottom lip in the cute way that drove him crazy.

Suddenly, she moved, pushing him back slightly. He frowned. The moment, it appeared, was over. He was starting to get back into the driver's seat when he realized Gwen had brought back up her seat and was moving into the back.

At first, he could only stare at her with his mouth half open.

Could she possibly know that this was his _exact_ fantasy for his first time going all the way? Backseat of his very amazing, supped-up muscle car?

Not that he was expecting _that _or anything… but damn, she was lying back there, proper up on her elbows, giving him a raised-eyebrow look that almost screamed, _'Well? Are you coming?'_

He grinned just a little too enthusiastically, following her over the seat divider and into the back of his car. She didn't say a word, just pulled him down to her sweet lips with a hand behind his neck.

Her other hand reached under his shirt, soft fingers running over his chest, slowly, as if memorizing every detail. He could feel himself growing hard, and wondered briefly if he would get to see her cute blush, if it would make her nervous… she couldn't really mean for them to… that is, she probably just wanted to fool around a bit, right? He didn't know how far she wanted this to go, so he decided it would probably be better for him to just let her lead.

She deepened the kiss, and Kevin felt her raise her hips to grind into his own, leading him to believe she liked what she felt. She most certainly wasn't nervous… in fact, she made another one of those sounds, those beautiful breathy moans that could unravel him so quickly.

Her other hand had joined the first, tracing a path to his back. He could feel his arousal quickly reaching a tipping point as the small girl moved under him, and he returned her gestures with a fervor that was beginning to take control of his senses. He pushed against her, sure she could feel him hard against her damp folds through the fabric of their clothing. She sucked in a quick breath, releasing it as a moan when Kevin reached down to touch her again. He liked hearing the sounds he could get from her… every little gasp urging him on.

He hiked up her skirt, revealing her white soft panties.

Gwen reached down, removing them as gracefully as the small space would allow. She gave Kevin a look that was almost…a challenge? She raised her eyebrows at the boy straddling her, leaning up on her elbows once again.

He reached for her, stroking this time, his fingers carefully moving up along her wet pussy as she shivered and closed her eyes.

And then, slowly, she opened her eyes to slits and stared at him, her breath short and her voice sweet and thick as she said, "more."

That did it. He wanted her to take the lead, and the meaning in her word and manner was really hard to miss.

He just couldn't wait any longer- he wanted her. He wanted to know what it would be like to plunge into her core, so tight and slick around his fingers, and burry himself to the brim. A hundred images ran through his head, and in his mind he imagined all the things he wanted to do…

She was still looking at him, still waiting.

That look on her face sent him fumbling with the top button on his pants. _Why_ wouldn't it come undone? How could one look from her suddenly make him so nervous and fumbling?

She leaned up further, reach for his pants with a strange curious gleam in her eyes, brushing his hands away. Kevin could only watch, breathing hard, as she undid his jeans. God, her lips looked so full and delicious… he had never thought she looked sexier than right then, looking up at him with wide eyes as she brought down the zipper of his pants. He could feel his erection straining for release, pushing against the rough fabric of his jeans. He dipped down and captured her plump lips with his own just as he felt the cool air of freedom against his erection. He pushed Gwen back down, feeling what little self-control he had left slipping swiftly away.

Her knees were up in the small space of the backseat, pressed against his sides, and she was so close… her hips wiggled closer, adjusting her position as they kissed.

"Mmm…" she murmured against his lips. "Hey…"

Kevin groaned, and with an Olympian effort managed to lean up on his elbows and ask, "What?"

Their bodies were tight together, his manhood pressed firmly against her leg. He really didn't think he could take it if she changed her mind about this, now.

"Are you… um…" her face was bright red, and she was stammering. It made her even more beautiful, this embarrassed face he rarely got to see. "…forgetting, something?"

He met her awkward gaze with a blank one of his own.

"Like… something someone could keep in a wallet…"

He still wasn't catching on, and he was getting more frustrated. What did any of that matter, now? What was she driving at? What would he keep in his wallet that they would need right then… oh.

Oh.

Crap.

He let out a deep breath, and it came out more like a wheeze. A wheeze of defeat. "Gwen…"

"You don't have anything?" She asked, and the fact that her voice sounded every bit as desperate as his own helped Kevin feel better.

Marginally.

"I… uh… I guess I didn't expect…"

"I didn't either." She answered, a hand to her forehead. "We… we can't do this if we're not _prepared_. I _want_ to… I mean, I really_, really_ want to…"

Kevin's penis twitched involuntarily at that, and Gwen's hand tightened on his shirt.

"But… we can't." The last word came out a little like a shaky whine, and Gwen's displeasure was evident.

"I know. Sorry, I should have thought of that…" They had been so close… but Kevin knew they couldn't risk something going wrong. With a groan, he moved to get off her.

Gwen's hand remained on his shirt, tugging at the fabric to pull him back down. "There's still, um, _other_ stuff we can do." She said, and he loved how she could be such an… _instigator,_ and still look so shy and unsure at the same time.

When did she get so sexy?

Kevin's eyes widened as he wondered at her exact meaning, and suddenly he found where Gwen's other hand had gone. He felt her small digits wrap around him.

"Yes…" he said, the hissed word escaping through his teeth like a caged animal. Gwen's eyes lit up as she heard the sound, widening as if in pleasant surprise, and with a slow testing motion she moved her hand up his shaft.

His eyes squeezed shut and flew back open as she began a steady pumping motion. She worried her lip some more, eyes on his face to gauge his reaction. He knew what she must have seen- the pleasure almost looking like pain as he panted and closed his eyes.

He was close, so close.

Gwen leaned her torso up, reaching for his neck with her lips. Her soft lips kissed him right at his adam's apple, moving down slowly as she continued to slide her hand back and forth. She licked him, lightly, experimentally, at the base of his neck.

"Oh…" was all the warning Kevin managed, his arms pulling Gwen flush to him as he came, hard, against their tight-knit bodies.

**A/N: So, please let me know what you think. I revised this chapter so many times… sometimes I have a hard time taking myself seriously enough to write sex scenes, and I wanted it to be just right! (true, it wasn't a "sex" scene… but, uh, only barely!)**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: I must admit I was getting a little worried there, when there were no reviews all day. A lot of late-night readers, I see! I think my thought-process was something like, "Was it that bad!? I should just eat ice cream until I explode and never write again!" (possibly exaggerating a little bit). I'm really happy with my regular and new reviewers! Your opinion means a lot, so please feel free to let me know when you like something, and even when you **_**don't**_** like something so I can improve! **

**Unknown Guest: Ok, let me set everyone's hearts at rest by answering your "hope": There are four graphic lemon scenes in this fic. We are now more than halfway through… so yes, there are more juicy scenes on the way.**

Chapter Twenty: Super-grounded

"Don't move."

Gwen did as she was told as Kevin darted for his glove compartment, grabbing a fistful on napkins for Gwen to clean up with. She almost rolled her eyes. His _car_. He was concerned about messing up his _car_.

She grabbed the brown napkins and cleaned off her hand, trying not to seem too disgusted. That's what happened, right? She expected that to happen, but she hadn't really planned on it making such a mess.

She flushed at the thought, suddenly filled with awkwardness as she swiped hurriedly at the bottom edge of her shirt. It was too dark to tell- was it noticeable?

Kevin coughed, trying to look nonchalant. "Uh… sorry?"

Gwen shook her head. "You can't really apologize when I made it happen." She couldn't believe she had just said that. Her eyes grew wide, and she ducked her head back down to the task of scraping her shirt with the thin flimsy napkin. She knew her face was a permanent shade of red, and hoped that in the darkness Kevin couldn't tell how strangely embarrassed she was for something she had been almost too excited about only moments before.

Kevin laughed at her answer, grabbing her and pulling her towards him. She dropped the napkin, wrapping her own arms around him. He kissed the top of her head, and she could feel the stupid smile slowly spreading over her face.

"I love you." He said again against her hair, and she felt her stomach drop in a whooping sensation. For someone who claims to be bad with words and expressing his love, he was really saying that a lot tonight.

And it was at that moment that a bright light filled the car, making them both freeze.

"What the hell…?"

The moving light of a flashlight swiveled around inside their car, and a rough man's voice called out to them to roll down the window. He tapped it with the flashlight.

"Crap." Kevin muttered. "It's a cop."

"It's a _what!_?"

Kevin rolled down the window, his face arranged carefully into the picture of innocence. "What seems to be the trouble, sir?"

Gwen would have laughed if she wasn't terrified. She had never gotten in trouble with the law in her life! Were they in trouble? Was that possible?

She adjusted her skirt, realizing it was still just a little too high for decency.

"Thought we had an abandoned car here…" the officer was saying. "You know, sex in a public place is illegal. I'm just going to let you off with a warning, this time…" the man frowned, his flashlight moving over to Gwen's face. She froze, feeling for all the world like a deer caught in headlights. Kevin had gotten pretty good at dealing with authority figures, but Gwen was sure guilt was written all over her face.

"Hmm… I think I'm gonna have to ask to see some ID. And registration for the car." The cop said, and Kevin turned to give her a worried look. That wasn't good. If Kevin was worried, they were in some kind of trouble.

"Uh… sure." Kevin said, leaning over the seat to grab something out of his glove compartment.

Gwen, panicked, put a hand on Kevin's back and whispered, "I don't have ID on me! Is that bad?"

"No," Kevin said, "it's ok." He turned back to the officer. "I, uh, seem to have misplaced my registration." He said, handing his license to the man.

The officer peered down at Kevin's picture, flashing his light at the couple's faces. "Not quite 18 yet, Mr. Levin." He frowned again, look at Gwen. "How about you, miss?"

Gwen's mouth fell open. Her eyes flashed to Kevin. Was she supposed to lie? She couldn't lie to a cop, right?

"She's sixteen." Kevin answered calmly and truthfully, handling the situation much better than her.

"That's what I figured. You kids are way too young." The officer gave them a disapproving look. "In my day, officers would have dragged you back to your homes and explained exactly what happened to your parents. And you-" he pointed at Kevin, "could have found yourself in a lot more trouble if you were a few months older!"

Gwen really didn't know a lot about law. She knew she shouldn't break it- but she really hadn't thought about a situation like this. Once again, she was speechless, her heart hammering in her chest like it wanted to escape through her throat.

"Wait here." The cop said, returning to his car.

"What's he doing?" Gwen asked, the panic evident into her voice.

"Relax- he's just running my plates."

"_And what will he find_?"

Kevin grimaced. "Um… maybe three unpaid speeding tickets, and a curious lack of insurance. Which I'll get a ticket for." Gwen stared at him, and he shrugged. "No company would cover me anymore. Not with how often my car gets destroyed. At least he won't be able to tell the car isn't street-legal."

"Your car isn't legal!?"

"What? With all the alien tech in it? No, Centurian Cannon Launchers and Ejector seats are not exactly standard in the Dodge line."

"He can't… he can't really tell our parents, can he?"

"We're under 18. He could, if he wanted."

He must have seen the shock in Gwen's face, because he quickly added, "He probably won't." Kevin sighed. "If you didn't look so scared, you wouldn't have looked so young."

"So you're saying this is my fault!?"

Kevin grinned. "Like I said, relax. It's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal!? You know how often I've been stopped by a cop, Kevin? Zero. Zero times."

Kevin shook his head. "It's just a local cop, Gwen. It's not exactly a Plumber…"

The cop was making his way back to the window where Kevin sat, still in the backseat. Kevin sat back, looking calm and cooperative again.

The man did not look happy.

Kevin swore lightly under his breath.

"Four outstanding speeding tickets, you're late renewing your plates, you're uninsured- which is illegal in this state, mind you- and your license," he held up Kevin's thin plastic card, "is expired."

Kevin tried to keep a pleasant expression on his face, but Gwen could see a twitch beginning in his jaw.

"I, uh, I've been out of the country the past couple weeks. I forgot I was up for renewal on, well… everything."

"Not an excuse. I'll be taking this," the man flashed the driver's license, "until you've paid up on all the violations."

"Can I just pay now…?"

The cop laughed like he had just made a truly tasteless joke, and Gwen's heart dropped. She had a bad feeling about this…

"No, you'll have to file the payments correctly- welcome to beurocracy. In the meantime, I can't let you drive that car home. You'll have to call for a tow when you get back home. And yes, I'll be taking you both to your parent's homes now." The cop shifted his light around inside the car one more time. "And miss? You may want to grab those."

Gwen buried her face in her hands, mortified to notice that her panties were still on the floor of the car.

…..

"Honey," Natalie Tennyson said, trying to sooth her husband. The usually calm man was at a loss for words, pacing the room. "I can handle this."

"A cop brought her home, Natalie! A cop. Our princess was brought home by a cop! I knew no good could come from her hanging around that Levin boy."

"Dad!" Gwen tried, "It's not his fault…"

"Of course it's his fault! What did I say, Natalie? No boyfriends until she graduates. But noooo… you said it was normal, you said she was very mature for her age."

Gwen shrunk lower into the couch. Clearly, her father was disappointed.

"Especially boys with cars! Why did we let her hang around a boy _with a car_? They're the worst!"

"Frank." Her mother put a hand to her head, rubbing her temple. "They have responsibilities. We've been over this: We need to respect Gwen and Ben's abilities. They have both saved the world, and we are just not capable of being involved in that part of her life."

"Yes, we agreed with Sandra and Carl and dad that we would be lenient with the two of them, as long as they stay out of trouble and keep up their grades. I think both of those things have suffered now, wouldn't you say? And when did that agreement include our daughter sneaking out at night to… I don't even want to talk about that!"

He was doing an awful lot of the talking. Gwen wasn't used to this- her dad was usually the one on her side. "Can I just say-"

"No more! No more boys! I don't even care if it's about aliens or saving the world- she's done!"

Ok, Gwen thought her dad was going a little far with that one. "Hey-"

"Is it too much to ask that my daughter make it through high school without a police record or a baby?"

"Dad!" Gwen could feel herself drifting out of her shame and into a realm of anger. "Kevin is a part of our team. He's saved my life on several occasions. Doesn't that mean anything?"

"Kevin is a teenage boy, and let me tell you, teenage boys cannot be trusted."

"Frank." Gwen's mom said, this time her voice much more firm. "I think it's time you got some sleep. I'll handle Gwen."

For a moment, he looked like he was going to protest. He opened his mouth to talk, looked at his wife's face, and immediately admitted defeat with a sigh. "Fine. But this conversation is not over! You are grounded young lady. _Super-grounded_. I don't know what that is, yet, but when I've figured it out I'll let you know!"

As soon as her dad was upstairs, Gwen's mom sat down on the couch with a sigh. 'You're going to give your dad a heart attack, you know."

"I didn't mean to… I mean… Kevin just had traffic violations…"

"Don't even try to make excuses. Officer Martin was very clear on what was going on in that car of Kevin's. I'm not dumb, Gwen. Don't treat me like I am."

Gwen could feel her face burning.

"After our last talk, I hoped you would reel it in a little."

"We didn't… I haven't… I'm still…" Gwen was having a bad day for words. "We were being safe, ok?"

"Good." Her mom rubbed her face, and Gwen realized this couldn't be easy on her. Really, Gwen would like to have her private moments remain private every once in a while. Was that too much to ask? "I know what it's like to be sixteen and in love, Gwen. Believe me, I do." Her mother seemed to be debating something in her head. She clucked her tongue, annoyed. "I wish we could keep you safe all the time, but we can't. You have your own life. Your adventures fighting evil are proof of that." She gave Gwen a strange look, shaking her head. "You are growing up much too fast. But I trust you to make smart decisions. You're a smart girl, you always have been."

This was not the discussion Gwen had been expecting.

"I've given you warnings, I've prepared you in every way I can, but you're still going to make your own decisions. I might not always approve, but I can't always be there to stop you. Now, it's your choice, but I'm thinking we should go tomorrow to talk to a doctor about getting you a prescription…"

Oh god. This was more what she was expecting. Gwen groaned.

"Oh, it's not as bad as all that! I would rather if you weren't sexually active, but-"

"Mom! Stop, seriously…"

"But if you're going to be, I'd like you to be prepared."

"I'm not, really…"

"Ok, Gwen. But just in case…"

Gwen paused, her eyes glued to the carpet as she muttered, "Ok. Fine."

"Good." Her mom said, rising from her seat and smoothing down her pajama bottoms in a nervous gesture. Once again, Gwen felt a little pity for her mom. "I'm going to go calm down your father. And you are still grounded- I never want to have you returned home by a police officer, you hear me? And no more sneaking out. If you need to patrol, you can tell me. In the future. When you are not 's_uper-grounded._'"

….

"So," Charmcaster said, grinning wickedly, "How was it?" The girl had been sitting at the top of the stairs when Gwen had gone up to bed, and she had the distinct feeling that she had overheard everything. She had followed her silently into her room, only talking when the door was shut.

"How was what?" She answered, trying to sound innocent as she quickly removed her shirt and slipped into her pajama's. At least no one had noticed the stain on her shirt… ugh. She would have been dead if they had.

Charmcaster was perched on the end of her bed. It was now two AM, but the blond didn't seem like she was about to get back to the guest room and go to sleep anytime soon. "Don't be coy- you are such a bad liar, you know. How was your wild night with a certain Kevin Levin?" She pouted, grabbing a pillow and hugging it. "Wish I had a boyfriend right now- you are making me rather jealous, you know. It's been a while for me…"

"Well, nothing happened, so I don't have any details to give you. Good night."

Charmcaster continued to pout, glaring at Gwen. "Like I said- bad liar. I'm pretty good at picking up on the not-so-subtle hints: Your hair's a mess, you have a strange satisfied look in your eyes, and I'm pretty sure that stain on your shirt wasn't toothpaste. Ew, by the way. You could at least be a little more discreet."

Was she that obvious?

Gwen sat down on the bed next to her… friend? Frenemy?

"We didn't have sex, if that's what you're asking."

The girl frowned, looking vaguely disappointed in Gwen. "Really? How boring."

Gwen rolled her eyes, turning the conversation back on Charmcaster. "What about you? When did you do it for the first time?"

The blonds eyes grew wide. "The first time? You've never… well, that makes some sense. No wonder you're so uptight all the time." She flipped her silvery hair over her shoulder. "Of course, I am a good deal older than you…"

Gwen narrowed her eyes, annoyed. "Only a few years older."

"And a lot of experience older."

"A lot?" Gwen asked, smirking and raising an eyebrow.

Charmcaster sat up straight, looking frazzled. "Not a _lot_, a lot! Just more than you. God, it's not like I'm loose or anything. A normal amount of experience, I'd say."

"I see… so, you're trying to say I'm not normal?"

"Pretty much." She shook her head. "I can't believe you were alone together in the backseat of that car and you _didn't_ do it. Oh, yes, I heard what Officer Martin said to your parents. What was the phrase? 'Found them in a state of undress…'"

Gwen covered her face, groaned, and laid down facing the wall. Maybe Charmcaster would take the hint and go away.

"So? Why not? I thought the two of you were pretty into this whole 'couple' thing."

"You act like it's as mundane as buying groceries." Gwen muttered. "It's kinda a big deal."

There was no answer to that, and Gwen was beginning to wonder if Charmcaster had fallen asleep or something. The older girl laid down next to Gwen in the opposite direction, her long hair hanging down over the end of the bed. "True." She said. "If you love someone, it is a big deal."

Gwen rolled over, looking down at Charmcaster on the other end of her bed. She was lying with her eyes closed, face unreadable.

Gwen wondered who Charmcaster had loved. Her answer had been so quiet, so sincere… it wasn't like the girl at all.

…..

"Gwen! Glad you picked up this early." It was six am. She couldn't ignore a call from Ben- it could be an emergency, even if she was incredibly tired from her late night. In fact, the ringtone she had set for him had been engraved into her brain as an "emergency" ringtone by this point, and could wake her from even the deepest of sleeps as surely as if someone yelled, "Fire!"

"Yeah?" She managed to croak, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Charmcaster was right where she left her- curled up at the end of her bed like a cat. She made a small growl of annoyance at being woken up by the phone.

"Grandpa Max called- he wants us to all get together. He said if we can locate the rips where the whip-tail is coming through to our world, he thinks he has something that could close them up. Something similar to the portal maker for the Null Void. At least that's something we can do to help the situation…"

Gwen thought the plan had merit. If they could close the portals, then the only ones in any real danger were her and Charmcaster.

_One year._

"Yeah. That's a good plan. I'm pretty sure I can track the Mana-flow to one of the rips, too."

"Great! That's what Grandpa Max figured. We'll meet at my place. Kevin's already here, and Grandpa's on his way."

Gwen's stomach tightened at the mention of Kevin, and all of last night came flashing back to her. "Oh, uh… I don't think I can go."

"…what?"

"I'm kinda… super-grounded."

"Super-grounded? What in the _hell_ is super-grounded?"

"I'm not sure," Gwen said, swinging her feet around Charmcaster and placing them on the floor. "It hasn't really been defined. I signed up for online classes the other day, since I'm missing so much school, so there's really no excuse for me to leave the house at all. I get the distinct feeling that I'm under house arrest." She sighed, standing up and walking over to her dresser.

"Yeah, very funny. Like you being grounded is going to stand in the way of stopping crazy rampaging monsters from destroying the area…"

Gwen pursed her lips, thinking. Ben made a convincing argument, but she didn't think her parents would buy it. "Well, I think you're missing the idea behind 'Super-grounded.'"

"I thought you just said you didn't know what 'super-grounded' was. What did you _do_, anyways? Since when do you get in trouble so often?"

"It's none of your business." Gwen answered sharply.

"She'll say it's none of your business." Another voice called helpfully from the background of Ben's line. Kevin.

He really did know her so well.

"Although I'll add that it does involve the popo."

Gwen could almost hear the grin in his faraway background voice. Idiot.

"The police!?" Ben yelled into the phone. "Impossible! That doesn't sound like Gwen."

She was seriously wishing she was close enough to Kevin that she could kick him, now.

"Look, if you don't come we can't track down the tears."

"I know. Just, give me a minute to think." Gwen said, pinching the bridge of her nose. Suddenly, an idea came to her, and her eyes flew open. "Hey, Charmcaster…"

The blond sighed, swinging up out of bed. "Yes, I can hear your loud blaring voices. Super-grounded, Mana trail, stopping monsters. That the gist?"

Gwen nodded, her eyes wide. Was Charmcaster _volunteering_?

"Fine. I'll go help out Team Ben. At least I know it will annoy them. But you owe me a favor, and don't think I'll forget."

Gwen smiled. Always had to sound tough.

"Wait…. What!?" Ben yelled from the other end as he registered what the two were talking about. "No way am I having her…"

"You have no choice Ben." Gwen said, hanging up the phone and flashing Charmcaster a smile that the girl mirrored exactly.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One: Permission to Save the World from Monsters

"You're driving?" Charmcaster asked, eyeing the green car with disdain. She was dressed in her old usual purple outfit, black crown and all. Battle-ready.

"I'm taking Ben, if that's what you're asking. _You_ are not allowed in my car. You can ride with Max."

Charmcaster rolled her eyes. "Good. I certainly didn't want to ride in _your_ car anyways. Who _knows_ where it's been." She winked mischievously. "Not to mention that you lost your license…"

"He what now?" Max asked, his ears perking up at the news.

Crap. Kevin had no idea that Charmcaster was so well informed… she did live with Gwen, though. She probably knew just about everything about last night.

Kevin cringed at the thought.

"He lost his license. I don't know about you, Max, but I don't think it's very smart of him to be driving illegally. It would be much safer of we all took your lovely SUV." Charmcaster answered sweetly.

Ben shot Kevin a pitying glance, but otherwise didn't complain as he climbed into the Rust Bucket.

"I hate you." Kevin muttered as he walked past Charmcaster.

"Good. Hate to think you're all getting too comfortable around me."

….

"Take a right at the light." Charmcaster said and pointed, hesitantly, as the Rust Bucket took the turn sharply.

"You sure you know what you're doing?" Ben asked, skeptical.

She made a strange unhappy snarl in the back of her throat. "I'm not _inept_! Look, maybe I don't have the natural ability of your cousin, but I think I can sense giant waves of magic pouring into another dimension, thanks so much."

Ben continued to frown at her from his spot perched in between her and Max, until the old man reprimanded him for not sitting down and wearing a seat belt. With a sigh, Ben took a seat in the back, muttering something like "I can take down Vilgax, but an RV is gonna kill me. Right."

"And do it without the sass, please!" Max yelled back.

Kevin shook his head, leaning closer to Ben in the loud Rust Bucket's back seating. "I don't like this."

"I know, me neither." Ben glared toward the front, where the boys could see Charmcaster chatting with his grandfather. "I don't know why Gwen thinks we can trust her…"

"Well, I mean… I guess she did help bring down one of those creatures while we were gone. That buys her a little cred, I suppose. Still doesn't mean I have to like her, though."

"What if she's lying about the whole thing?" Ben wondered in a low voice. "Do we have any proof she _is_ experiencing the same thing as Gwen? Maybe this is all some trick?"

"Then why not take out Gwen while we were all gone? Not that she can't take care of herself, but this whole thing's left her kinda vulnerable. It wouldn't make sense."

"I don't know… maybe."

"A left here." The blond witch called from the front. "We're close to one. I can feel about five different tears right now, but the more we drive, the more I sense….this might take awhile."

"We're used to long hours." Kevin called up. "Just do your job."

Charmcaster turned around, glaring. "I wasn't complaining. Just stating facts. I don't know how many cracks there are in the fabric of our universe, but I doubt we can repair them all."

"Every little bit helps. If this is all we can do right now, then we do it." Ben stated simply.

"If we could get Gwen to help, too, we could have two groups going out." Grandpa Max said casually, his eyes sliding to the rearview mirror. "Exactly why isn't she here?"

"Her parents wouldn't let her go." Charmcaster said with a shrug, staring out the window with a look of concentration etched on her face.

"WHAT?" Max exclaimed, clearly perplexed. "This is important work. I thought I had talked to them about plumber work." He shook his head. "Looks like I'll have to have another talk with my son."

"Uh… you probably just wanna leave this one alone." Kevin said, growing a little worried. Gwen would be seriously pissed if word got around why she was in deep with her parents right now.

"I was wondering about that. What was this about it involving the police…?" Ben asked, a little too loudly.

"WHAT?" Max said again, his eyebrows raising so high it looked like they might fall off.

"I was just… kidding about that, Ben." Kevin tried. He could kick himself now. Or Ben. Why couldn't he keep his mouth shut?

Charmcaster sighed. "If it will end this potentially awkward conversation, the police brought her home because Kevin's license was pulled last night for outstanding tickets. Her parents flipped. End of story."

"Er, yeah. And that's all." Could it possibly be that Charmcaster had just covered for Gwen? _That_ certainly seemed out of character.

"Well, I'm still going to have a talk with Frank. We could have really used Gwen's help today."

"We also could have used a fast car." Ben remarked, shaking his head at Kevin.

"I've been off-planet for a few weeks- I forgot. So sue me. I sent in the payments, and I'll get my license back by the end of the month."

"There!" Charmcaster yelled, suddenly, pointing off to her left. Max pulled the rust bucket to the side of the road with a screech and they all scrambled out quickly. Charmcaster was running, now, her eyes glowing a soft pink.

"Hold up!" Kevin called, running after the girl alongside Ben.

"Here!" She said, breathing hard and pointing up… at empty sky.

"That's it?" Ben asked, sounding vaguely disappointed. There was nothing to see, really. Maybe a small ripple in the air…He thought a tear in the fabric of their reality would be a little more… impressive. Instead it was something only Mana-users could see, apparently.

"Sometimes things we can't see can hurt us." Max said, catching up with the group and carrying a large box. "There are two more of these in the back of the Rust Bucket, which you would know if you hadn't all run off. Charmcaster, Ben, go grab them. Kevin, you can help me assemble this thing."

….

Gwen sat in her room, running through familiar math problems on her laptop. Online classes.

She sighed, annoyed with just how complete her house arrest was. She couldn't wait for this stupid Anodite holiday to be over so she could go back to school.

Oh, and not die. Both were pretty up there on her list.

It made her nervous, now, being home alone. At least with Charmcaster there she could feel assured that she wouldn't change into someone horrible and go on a killing spree. Maybe she should go talk to her parents? How long could they keep her here, anyways? The group needed her, and she needed her super-powered friends to save her from herself.

She tapped a finger against her keyboard nervously, not actually pressing any keys. When would they be back? She was just beginning to realize it had been awhile since her last skip, and it was making her nervous.

Her phone rang, and she jumped, stirred from morbid thoughts of herself with sharp teeth, using a knife to cut off Ben's hand…

She shivered, reaching for her phone. "Hello?"

"We're on our way back."

It was Kevin's voice, and she took comfort from the familiar steady sound. She wanted to see him so badly… "Good. How'd it go?"

"Well enough. We took out about six of them, and Charmcaster says she's beat from tracking. I'm thinking it'll go a lot quicker if we just mount the port-cannon on top of the rust bucket, so we're gonna take a break until tomorrow night." He paused, and it sounded like he was talking to someone next to him. Maybe Ben. "We, uh, we think it'll go a lot quicker if you came along, too. We could split into two groups and cover more ground."

Gwen sighed. "I'll try and talk to my parents. I don't know. If I can catch my mom alone, maybe…"

Kevin was silent for a minute, then Gwen heard a small groan of surrender. "Look, would it help if I talked to them…"

Kevin was volunteering? For talking to her parents? This was seriously out-of-character. "I can't believe this is really Kevin. Put Kevin on the phone."

"Haha."

"You would really do that?" Gwen thought about it, tapping her lip and sitting down on her bed. She wondered if that would help the situation, or make it worse? Probably, if her parents got to know Kevin, they would like him. He was a good person, with a very well-developed sense of right and wrong. He worked with their group to take care of the world, and he took care of her. The two of them relied on each other in battle, each watching the other's back. Without him, she could have been toast long ago. And visa versa. She didn't want them to keep hating him. "I'd like that."

"Oh. I was kinda hoping you'd turn me down on that one."

"Nope. You offered. You're stuck, now."

"…alright, whatever makes you happy."

Her heart jumped, and she was glad no one could see her grinning like an idiot into the phone. "Thanks, Kevin."

…

Gwen's mom brought out snacks and pop, which Ben happily dug into immediately. Kevin didn't really feel like eating- why did he say he'd talk to the Tennyson's? About what? Was he supposed to apologize or something? Probably.

But that would wait until Ben and Max decided to leave, after they all had their little "Team _Me_ Meeting" as Ben put it.

"So, you managed to shut down six of the rips."

"Yes, but I could sense dozens more in the area."

"I know, I can too."

Charmcaster glared. "You can sense them, now, even though they're so far away?"

Gwen nodded sheepishly, taking a long drink of her diet coke. She really didn't need Charmcaster getting competitive now, but the fact was that Gwen was the stronger of the two. Charmcaster had access to more spells growing up, but Gwen had natural raw talent.

Charmcaster harrumphed, folding her arms and glaring at the tray of cookies set on the coffee table.

"Every little bit helps." Max said, helping himself to a cookie. "These are wonderful, Natalie!"

"Oh, they came out of a box." Gwen's mom said, waving a hand in front of her as if to deflect the compliment.

"Oh, really? They almost taste like Neroshin worm pies!"

Ben slowly put back the cookie he was about to take a bite of.

"Er, uh, thanks?" Natalie said, taking a seat next to her daughter.

"Anyways, back to business." Max said, clapping his hands and rubbing them together. "As I said, I contacted the plumbers about the girl's problems," he nodded at Gwen and Charmcaster, "but so far no luck on a way to stop the skips. At least by closing these rips we're doing something. We don't want one of those monsters rampaging around a populated area. Again."

"So, we go out again tonight." Ben said confidently, chugging down his orange soda. "No big deal- we'll close the rips then find a way to stop the skips."

"You act like it's going to be simple- we talked to an Anodite and didn't get answers. What makes you think the plumbers will be any more help?" Gwen said with a sigh.

"To be fair, you have to ask Anodites the right questions. Even Verdona can be a bit flakey…" Max admitted, shaking his head.

"I believe grandma's exact words were, 'suck it up.'" Gwen answered, glaring at nothing in particular.

Ben couldn't keep in a small snort of laughter.

"It isn't funny!"

"I know, I know. Sorry. Serious face." Ben said, pointing to his face as he forced his smile back down into a frown.

"Now, the first thing to do is to mount the Port-Cannon to the top of the Rust Bucket. It's a pain to assemble again and again, but it won't fit inside in one piece."

"I'll handle that." Kevin volunteered. "I'll bring around some tools in the morning."

"Right." Max said, nodding. "Then, we should do the same with your car."

"Sure. Fine."

"But you can't be driving it, if you don't have a valid license."

Kevin groaned. This was the problem with working with responsible adults. But then they couldn't have really gotten ahold of a port-cannon without Max's help. Not easily, anyways.

"I agree with that." Natalie said. Her eyes narrowed at the dark-haired boy, her legs and arms crossed while her leg bounced in an irritated way.

"I can drive, then." Ben said, grinning. Kevin groaned.

"So, now all we need is a second Mana-user to go with one of the two groups…" Max said, casually. Very sly, for an old-timer.

"No." Natalie said simply, pursing her lips angrily.

"Oh, Natalie, you know how it is with kids. Even the best behaved have a way of getting in trouble now and then…"

"No."

"Really, Gwen is more than just a kid. She has a lot of responsibility for someone her age- she's had to grow up pretty fast. And right now, she's needed."

"Max, I understand, believe me I do, but she's still my daughter and I can't just always let her off the hook for every little thing…"

"Saving the town from monsters is more of a 'big thing,' if you ask me…plus, it's her first offense. Time off for good behavior, maybe?"

Max winked at his granddaughter, but Gwen just looked a few shades too pale. Kevin could see her mom getting more and more annoyed. Max was unintentionally making the situation worse.

Then again, he didn't know why she was really in trouble.

Charmcaster sighed, loudly, bringing the attention of the room straight to herself. "What if Gwen went with Max, and I went with Kevin? You," she pointed at Ben, waving a hand flippantly in front of her, "can go wherever."

"Don't talk about me like I'm not important, here. I am a gigantic hero, afterall." Ben said, popping a cookie in his mouth without thinking about it then grimacing at the taste. They must actually be pretty awful. "Plus, why would that make a difference?" He added as he tried to scrape cookie off his tongue with a napkin.

Natalie looked introspective, tapping her lip and staring at her daughter. "I don't know. Let me talk to Frank. We'll see…"

"Well, think about it." Max said cheerfully, standing up and making his way to the door. "You boys need a lift home?"

"Me!" Ben said, grabbing another soda and walking to the door.

"That's ok." Kevin managed to spit out, regretfully. "I'll, uh, walk home later."

Ben gave him a suspicious glance, and shrugged. "Suit yourself. The Rust Bucket's not_ that_ bad. Bye."

And with that, Kevin was left alone with Gwen, her mom, and Charmcaster. He wished the room were about 67% less crowded with people who didn't like him.

"Wow, Levin's sticking around for the after-party." Charmcaster said, sliding off the couch. "I think I've had enough fun for one day- I'm gonna go study some spells for awhile." She made a swift escape up the stairs, and Kevin had the distinct impression she was standing at the top listening.

"Uh…" Kevin began eloquently, at a loss for words. What was he doing here, again? What was the point?

He saw Gwen raise an eyebrow at him from her spot by her mom across the room. Oh, right. The point was to make his girlfriend happy.

"I just wanted to, you know, apologize for last night and all that." He managed, pointedly looking at the ceiling to avoid eye contact. He had no idea what the cop had said to Gwen's parents, but the guy had seemed like a prude. Probably told them he had found the two going at it in the back seat… which was only slightly untrue.

"Well… good." Natalia answered after a moment of awkward silence. She sounded surprised, and when Kevin ended his ceiling-inspection he saw Gwen looked surprised too. What, did she think he was incapable of apologizing? "Although, I don't really put all the blame on you, Kevin." She added, glancing at her daughter, who slunk further into her seat. "It takes two."

"Mom… I apologized. I shouldn't have snuck out, especially when it wasn't business-related…"

"You're right, you shouldn't have. It's the sneakiness I can't stand, Gwen." She sighed, rubbing at her temple. "Your father wants me to tell you two you couldn't see each other anymore…"

Kevin held in a derisive laugh. Like that was possible.

"…but I told him if I said that it would only make you want to see him more." She gave her daughter a half-smile. "That would just be part of the appeal, wouldn't it?"

"Oh my god, mom, I'm not going through a rebellious stage or whatever your books are telling you…"

"Look, I just want to set up three ground-rules. 1- you have a curfew starting at eleven from now on, pending an alien emergency." She pointed at Kevin. "Got that? You get her home by eleven. When you get your license back, that is." Kevin nodded obediently, feeling a little flummoxed. He wasn't so used to the "parenting" thing. "2- no more sneaking around. If you two want to go on a date, Gwen, you can let me know. And 3-…" Gwen's mom looked a little uncomfortable, and coughed into her hand. Seeming to grasp a wave of courage from this act, she hurried on, "… if - and this is a big if, since I'd prefer it if you two would wait- if you two are going to have sex, you're going to be safe, you hear me!?"

Kevin was definitely thinking it was time to leave.

"Mother! You can embarrass me in private, ok?" Gwen pleaded, shooting apologetic looks Kevin's way.

"I'm not finished." Natalie said firmly. "4-"

"There's a 'four' now?" Gwen whined. Kevin had never heard her sound so… tragically teenaged. Her exasperated tone almost made the situation amusing. Almost.

"4- you are still grounded, and I want you both to cool it for the next week. I wasn't kidding about you giving your dad a heart attack! He said you're grounded, so you're grounded. One week. But-" She shifted in her seat, "Provided, of course, that you follow your friend Caroline's suggestion, I will let you go with your friends tomorrow night to save the world from monsters."

"Uh… thanks mom." Was all Gwen could manage. That was not the kind of thing a normal teen would ever hear their mom say.

"If we're done here, I'm going too…" Kevin began, edging towards the door.

He had almost managed to escape when a loud, howling scream echoed from the second floor of the Tennyson household, the kind of scream that gave normal people goosebumps and sent heroes into action.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, guys! **

**Random Guest****: yeah, I kinda think in a fic like this there needs to be someone who can be a little snarky sometimes to ease the tension, and I think Charmcaster serves this purpose well. I started this a long time ago, before we knew too much about her (after the episode where they first go to ledgerdomain), and I liked what we had seen of the "real" her. I thought she could be an interesting voice of blunt reason and comic relief. . ****And, occasionally, some drama…. **

**On that note…**

Chapter Twenty-Two: Almamana Agent

Gwen was the first up the stairs, bounding towards the silver-haired witch writhing on the floor. She was holding her head with both hands, as if she expected it to split open at any moment.

"Charmcaster!?" Gwen yelled, holding the girl's shoulder to attempt to stop her violent movements. She just kept _screaming_… what was wrong?

"She must have skipped." Kevin said, staring wide-eyed down at Charmcaster like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"I told you she wasn't lying." Gwen said, turning her attention back to the girl. Her mom made her way up the stairs, first aid kit in hand.

"What can I do?" She asked, kneeling on the other side of the girl.

"Hold her still so she doesn't hurt herself. I'm getting my spellbook- I'm sensing some weird Mana." Gwen yelled. She turned to Kevin. "Just in case, the Mercronian Med-tech is stashed down in the basement- first shelf on the right." Without waiting to hear more, Kevin bounded down the stairs to fetch the flashlight-looking thing. "Grandpa left it." She explained to her mom, then dashed into her room and fumbled with her favorite spellbook.

"Ok, ok… let's see… this Mana isn't from anyone I know, and it isn't Charmcaster's own…"

"Are you saying someone put a spell on her?" Natalie asked disbelievingly. Her parents still had a hard time believing in magic, even after all they had seen. But AnoditeMana and Magic were really just two words for the same basic thing.

"Yes, I am. Careful, mom, I don't know if this is our Charmcaster or not. She could be dangerous… stand back."

Her mom did as she was told, looking bewildered as her daughter began to chant from the page in front of her. Kevin made it back up the steps with the med-tech just as she finished her "release" spell, freeing Charmcaster from whatever hold was placed on her.

The girl stopped screaming abruptly, her eyes still squeezed shut and her breathing labored. Her hands remained placed firmly against her ears, her body moving forwards and back, giving her the look of a scared child. It really made Gwen worry for their Charmcaster- it was obvious that she had shifted to another world, and that this girl was someone new. What kind of horrible world was this girl from? Who had cast this spell on her?

"I… I'm free…" She muttered, opening her eyes slowly. She stared, wide-eyed, at the first person she saw: Kevin, standing in front of her with the flashlight-healing-device.

"D…don't! Stay back!" She looked at Gwen and shrieked. "Get away from me!" She crawled backwards quickly and awkwardly, falling and scrambling to push herself as far away from the people in front of her as possible. She eyed the flashlight warily, trying to use the wall at the end of the hall as balance to get to her feet.

"Charmcaster, calm down. We're here to help you."

"That's not my name! You can't have my name!" She screamed. There were tears in her eyes.

Gwen and Kevin exchanged a helpless look. What could they do?

Gwen's mom rushed forward, and for whatever reason, Charmcaster let her. She calmed down so suddenly it was like she deflated as Natalie hugged her. Gwen could still hear the sobs in her huffing breaths, but at least she had stopped screaming. Natalie held her tight, stroking her hair. She looked up at her daughter, and mouthed, "Now what?" silently.

Gwen was too stunned to reply. She had told her mom to stand back- but it was obvious this girl wasn't any threat.

"What was the spell you took off her?" Kevin asked, breaking the stunned silence.

Gwen thought about it. It had felt so strange… definitely some kind of very dark magic. Like strings wounds tight. Like when the evil-her had had Kevin as her slave.

"She was imprisoned, somehow. Someone trapped her in her own body."

"I… am… free…" Charmcaster gasped, rocking and clinging tighter to the middle-aged woman kneeling next to her. "Years. Years, I've been trapped. I…" Her eyes were shifting from side to side, up and down, taking in her surroundings rapidly like a caged animal. Finally, she settled her gaze up at Gwen, her pupils dilated. "Who are you?"

…

She grabbed the bowl of soup, chugging it down without waiting for a spoon. This Charmcaster was extremely hungry, and Gwen's mom hurried to find something else for the girl to eat.

"So, we've never met before where you're from?"

The girl gave her a funny look. "No. You're so powerful… but you can't be from LedgerDomain." The girl flashed Kevin another wide-eyed look, aimed primarily at the med-tech.

"Oh. That. It's for healing- it's not a weapon. Sorry if we scared you." Gwen said softly, her heart going out for the girl. What would it be like to be caged in your own body? For _years_? She shivered- it was an inconceivably evil kind of magic.

Charmcaster visibly relaxed, nodding at Kevin. "S… sorry. I just… I'm not used to people wanting to help me. People only want to control me, or kill me. Why… why do you want to help me? What is it you want, exactly?"

"We don't want anything. Helping people is just kinda our hobby." Kevin said, smiling at Gwen. "How weird is this? Really?Charmcaster without the sarcasm."

"Sarcasm?" The girl asked, her eyes widening. "You talk as if you know me. Why?"

Gwen sighed, sitting down at the kitchen table next to her. "We are in another world, parallel to yours."

"Alternate dimensions." Charmcaster said softly, grabbing at the new bowl of soup offered her by a concerned-looking Natalie Tennyson.

"Yes. The you in this world is a friend of ours." Gwen said. Kevin snorted. She ignored him. "She's been having a problem with switching, against her will, with versions of herself from other dimensions."

"She's in LedgerDomain?" The girl whispered, her face horrorstruck. Then, as a more terrifying thought occurred, she began to breath fast in panic. "Are you saying I'll have to go back there!?"

"I… eventually, yes. We can't do anything about it. You'll switch back soon."

"When?"

"I don't really know. There's no pattern to it. Days?Hours?" Gwen shook her head, looking grim.

"But I'm free."

"I freed you from the spell, yes."

"It hurt, you know." She whispered, touching her head with shaking fingers. "When you try to run away, the spell hurts you. Going a whole dimension away… the pain was breathtaking." She closed her eyes, remembering.

Gwen gulped, trying to think of words to comfort the girl. How could they let her return to that?

What choice did they have?

"Well, snap out of it." Kevin said, roughly. Both Gwen and her mom looked up, giving him matching sharp disapproving looks. Charmcaster stared. "You're free, and no one will know that when you get back, right? When you get there, run! Fight your way out! I don't know where LedgerDomain is, but if you can get to Earth and find us…"

"Earth? This is Earth?" She tipped her head to one side, thinking. "Yes. I think I can escape. If I can get past the rock golems and the resistance force that wants my puppet-body I'm careful. Earth…"

"Right. And if you find us, we can help you."

"Gwen… and Kevin… and Natalie." She said slowly, hopefully.

"Look for Ben." Gwen piped up. "Ben Tennyson. If he's anything like our Ben, he would never turn down someone in trouble. Plus, he'll be easier to find, I think. He tends to attract trouble quicker than we do, even."

"Same last name?"

"He's my cousin. If you find him, you find us." Gwen frowned. "But Ben's your safest bet. I've comeaccross versions of me that were… unpleasant in other dimensions."

The girl nodded, and went back to her soup.

Gwen walked over to Kevin while her mother continued to… well, _mother_ the sickly girl. She was silently glad her mom had been around- it was exactly what the scared girl had needed.

"Can we give her anything to bring back with her?" Gwen asked.

Kevin shook his head. "Not even your clothes follow you to the other world, right? I can't think of how we could get a weapon to go through with her. She'll switch with her double exactly as they both are. Material items won't travel dimensions- not in the way you're doing it."

"Wait… material items can't skip with us…spells! She brought a spell through with her!" Gwen said, excitedly. "I can at least add some protective spells on her. Maybe I can give her a bit of Mana to use herself, too. She seems completely zapped as it is."

Kevin frowned. "But not too much- you don't know when your next skip will be. You need to think about your own health sometimes, too."

Gwen waved his worry away. "I'm fine- don't worry. I won't give her enough to leave me weak. Just enough to get her out of her prison-"

Too early, Gwen saw pink flash before her eyes, but it wasn't blinding. It was coming from Charmcaster's eyes, this time, and Gwen was about to breathe a sigh of relief. Having both of them gone to another dimension at the same time would have been just too much. Her sigh stuck in her throat, however, when she took in the newly-returned Charmcaster in front of her at the kitchen counter.

Her left side was covered in blood, her arms held out as if to ward something away. From her spot at the kitchen table, she began to slide sideways.

Kevin made it there just before Gwen, catching the girl a moment before she hit the linoleum floor.

"Mom, we need that first aid kit afterall." Gwen said, all business as she followed Kevin into the living room. He set the bleeding girl gently onto the couch, pulling the top off the flashlight-like-device.

"Good thing we have this." He muttered. "Where's the wound?"

Gwen reached past Kevin, trying to find where the blood was coming from. The witch's arm was coated in red, but it was clear the wound wasn't on the bare arm. So much blood, it was hard to tell, but Gwen was pretty sure there was a chunk of her costume missing from the area around her ribs on her left side.

"There." She said, moving the girls arm so the Kevin could get a clear view of the wound. Natalie returned with the first aid kit. "We'll need that after we take care of the big one." She said, taking in the various scraps and cuts soaking through the leg of her battle outfit. "Well?" She looked at Kevin, waiting.

"Unless you want her clothes fused to her skin…"

"Of course." Gwen muttered under her breath, looking down at Charmcaster and trying to figure out how the girl's outfit worked. Her mother ran forward, helping her remove the girl's top and hold her on her side with her arm out of the way. Kevin fiddled with the machine and tried pointedly to not look at Charmcaster's bare front. There was so much blood, there really wasn't much to see, but Gwen appreciated the effort.

"Ok, hold her still." Kevin said as the two women held the unconscious bloody body on the couch. He turned on the machine and it began to whir, a soft blue light seeping out the end. Kevin held the light over the wound as still as he could, trying to mimic what Grandpa Max had done earlier. It was pretty deep- they could see the pale white rib bones glistening through the tattered flesh. Really, it was more grisly than their usual work, and Kevin had to fight down his revulsion. The tear in her side went from the ribs and down to her waist, varying in width and depth. Like a big claw mark of some kind. It would take a long time to heal, and Kevin hoped she didn't bleed out before then. He could only heal so much at a time with the small light. It was high-level tech, but it was portable and made for use in the field. It didn't have the large-wound capabilities that a full medical facility would have.

Natalie, seeing that Gwen was doing a good job steadying on her own, removed her hands from Charmcaster's shoulders and ran from the room. She returned in a moment with a pile of fluffy white towels, which quickly soaked up the red as she pushed them against Charmcaster's side in a spot the blue light didn't reach in an attempt to stop the bleeding. "Should we call an ambulance?" She asked.

"No, they wouldn't know what this tool is and they wouldn't let me use it on her while they worked. She'd be in more danger, that way. Maybe when we finish, so they can deal with the bloodloss…"

Natalie nodded, her lips pressed tight together.

It took roughly ten minutes for the machine to build a new layer of skin. With level 10 tech, they could rely on it to fix any internal bleeding in the area too… so that was a plus.

Gwen's mom called for an ambulance while Kevin hid the med-tech back in its inconspicuous spot in the basement, right next to some real flashlights.

…..

"You know, Kevin," Natalie said as they all sat beside Charmcaster's bedside. She was still unconscious, but stable. "you do well under pressure. I already knew Gwen could keep her cool in an emergency, but it's nice to see she had someone like you watching her back."

Gwen stared at her mom, who was sipping at her coffee and looking thoughtful. This wasn't exactly how she planned on her mom getting to know Kevin, but it certainly seemed to leave an impression on her.

They had all had to wash a substantial amount of blood off of them, and the hospital had let them use showers to clean off the girl's blood. There were still a few dark stains on their clothes, but since Kevin had carried her he had the worst of it. None of them could leave the room for food or drinks without getting stares.

"Natalie!" Gwen's father called, coming into the hospital room. "Are you alright? Is Gwen?"

Gwen waved at the frantic-looking man, and he breathed a sigh of relief. "I get a message, saying you're all at the hospital."

"Sorry, honey, I was in a bit of a hurry and forgot to leave details. It's Caroline, but she's going to be fine."

"Hey- got here as soon as could!" Ben called, coming in directly behind her father. "Oh, hi uncle Frank." He said, sounding rushed. He had a sheen of sweat covering his forehead, as if he had run up the stairs as quick as he could.

"What took you so long?" Gwen asked.

Ben gave her a strained look. "Don't laugh." He said.

"Uh, what? Now I'm interested." Kevin said, giving Ben a look. "What, exactly, are we not laughing at?"

Ben looked to his aunt and uncle. "Um… any chance you can give us a minute?"

"Of course." Natalie said quickly, grabbing her husband's arm and leading him from the room before he could protest.

"Ok, what did you want to tell us you couldn't tell them?" Gwen asked, now interested.

"It could be dangerous, so…"

"What could be?"

Ben groaned, unzipping his green jacket. He had a hard time taking it off, and Gwen noticed he was holding his left arm rather awkwardly at his side instead of in his sleeve.

When the jacket slipped off him, Gwen saw why and gasped. "Why would that be funny!?"

"Ha!" Kevin exclaimed as if in answer to her question. She slapped his arm, hard.

"Not. Funny." She grit through her teeth.

"Oh, come on. It has sparkles! And he had the most powerful weapon in the universe strapped to his wrist- why haven't you just transformed and shook it off?"

Wrapped around Ben's arm was what appeared to be a giant flatworm made of glitter. It sparkled crazily in the dim light of the hospital, making Ben a walking disco ball. As weird as it looked, Gwen couldn't help but feel she had seen it somewhere before.

"I can't." Ben answered, nodding down to his arm.

"Why?" Kevin asked, clueless.

Ben narrowed his eyes, lifted his right arm, and pointed obviously to his wrist.

The creature had wrapped a delicate tapered tail around Ben's wrist, including the attached device.

"You're as sparkly as a vampire." Kevin said, barely containing his laughter.

Gwen hit him, again, to no avail, and turned to Ben. "Can't you pry it off?"

"Oh, why didn't I think of that_- of course I tried to get it off!_ It has some kind of suction cups along the bottom of it- or possibly teeth. It won't let go, and it hurts when I try." As if to prove a point, he grabbed at the wrapped tail, pulling. With a sharp hiss, he stopped. "Ow. Yeah. I'm thinking teeth."

Kevin walked up, poking the shiny tentacle. "I can honestly say I've never heard of this kind of alien before. And that's saying something, because it's kinda distinctive looking."

"When did this happen?" Gwen asked.

"In the parking lot, here. I was locking up my parent's car and it flew out from underneath. It was way faster than it looks. It just latched onto my arm and stayed there."

"Think it's after the omnitrix?" Kevin asked, looking to Gwen.

Gwen was thinking hard, now. She knew she had seen this thing before, but where? Gwen stepped closer, inspecting the area she assumed was it's head. She swore she could hear a soft hissing coming from somewhere, like air escaping…

HisssssAAAAA!

The thing uncoiled itself from Ben so fast, it was hard to even follow it's movements. Of course, the glitter probably added to the effect, and before Gwen could blink the thing had flung itself against her.

More specifically, around her upper arm and neck.

Yes, teeth. Definitely teeth.

"Ah! Get… off!" Gwen yelled, pulling at the thing around her neck. Kevin reached the thing less than a second after it landed, pulling at it angrily. "Ow, Ow, Ow!"

"Not a good plan." Ben said as Kevin backed off.

The pain of hundreds of tiny bites digging into her skin was intense, double so at the soft tissue of her neck. It was tightening its grip, now, after the attempts to pry it off. It was getting harder to breathe…

"Stand back." She said, her voice a coarse whisper as the boys took two steps back, their faces worried masks. "ExpuliExpalsum." Gwen muttered, her eyes flashing pink as she unleashed her magic on the shiny creature.

There was a brief hanging moment where she really thought it would work. The creature pulsed, arching its middle away from her neck.

She thought it would fall off her, until it started to blow up like a balloon, it's size increasing rapidly.

"Gwen!" she heard Kevin yell, but the sound was faint. The creature was tightening around her neck, growing to encompass her entire head and make breathing impossible. She could feel herself growing lightheaded. As she fell to her knees, she realized the boys were pounding at the body of the creature.

How big had it grown? She couldn't even tell at this point…

There were several muffled shouts and thumps, and then everything went black.

…..

She woke up in a hospital bed. At least it wasn't a very far trip.

The first thing she registered when she woke up, before she opened her eyes, was a pressure in her hand. It wasn't an evil wormy leech-monster pressure. A good pressure.

Someone holding her hand.

She cracked open her eyes, taking in the hospital room. There were no monsters in it, and she didn't think heaven would have such awful wallpaper, so she was reasonably sure she was safe and alive.

But how?

"Is she waking up? She'd better wake up. I am owed a big thank you for this." Came the sharp voice of Charmcaster from her left.

"She just saved _your_ life like five _hours_ ago!" Kevin countered in a gruff voice.

Gwen turned her head toward the male voice, her vision was a little blurred as she took in the dark-eyed boy to her right. He was holding her hand, his large hand encompassing her own.

"Hi." She croaked. "Ow." She managed, then instantly regretted talking again. Her throat hurt.

"Maybe we should fight all our enemies in a hospital. It really cuts down on the recovery time." Ben said from his spot next to the window. He waved at Gwen when he realized she was looking his way. His arm was bandaged up, but otherwise he seemed fine. Gwen gave a little wave back, unable to talk.

"Oh, Gwen! You're awake!" Cried her mom, coming back into the room with a fresh cup of coffee and her dad. The two ran right over and hugged her gently, avoiding her bandages. Gwen realized the white strips of gauze circled her arm and neck, and she cringed to think what her skin looked like underneath.

She opened her mouth, about to demand explanations, and realized she couldn't talk. She turned her head, shooting Kevin a pleading look.

He got the message.

"Charmcaster recognized the creature from one of her books." Kevin said, leaning closer to talk to her. "Said you two came across it during your research."

"That's why-" Gwen began, excited to realize why she recognized the creature and kicking herself for talking again. She grimaced as she cut off abruptly, and Kevin frowned.

"Yeah. It's called-"

"Almamana Agent!" Charmcaster called from the bed next to Gwen's. "They're creatures of pure magic, but they don't come by it honestly. Normally, they live between dimensions, eating Manathat's trapped between Anarymes. But with the rips between worlds, they're sneaking out."

another monster to worry about.

"Which means it's even more important than ever that we close the cracks, yet our two resident witches are out of commission." Ben muttered, crossing his arms then wincing at the pain from below his bandages.

"It feeds off Mana, not life energy, thankfully." Charmcaster continued. "It must have sensed something in Ben… then realized it's mistake and latched onto you. Poor thing would have starved to death on Ben."

"Was that somehow supposed to be an insult?"

"You have no magic. Ergo, you're lame. So yes, yes it was."

"It must have felt my Anodite bloodline." Ben muttered, looking down at his cousin. "Unfortunately for you, you're the one who inherited the tasty stuff. It filled up so fast it almost had you covered before Charmcaster killed it. I even went Four-arms and couldn't budge it."

"I remembered the spell to do so from my book." She said with a grin. "Frankly, I'm surprised you didn't. Instead, you just decided to feed it Mana."

Oops.

Gwen smiled at Charmcaster, trying to let her know she was grateful without talking.

Now that Charmcaster was awake, there was still one thing Gwen wasn't clear on: How the girl had sustained her injuries in that alternate dimension. Since she couldn't very well ask, and the boys were too oblivious to ask, she was out of luck. She'd have to wait until she could talk again.

It was like her mom read her mind. "We stopped by the gift shop downstairs and bought you this!" She said, handing Gwen a brown shopping bag. When she opened the bag, she found exactly what she really needed: A white board and dry erase marker.

Of course, this was a good indicator that her parents knew she was going to be silent for quite a while. Gwen wondered exactly how long that would be.

So she wrote it down. _'How long?_'

"Doctor says your esophagus is swollen. Recommends you don't talk for the next two days." Her dad answered gently.

She groaned, and found that that, too, hurt. great.

'_Then I'm not out.'_ She wrote, pointing the sign to Ben. '_Need close many gap posbl_.' She was really getting sick of writing. She erased it with her hand, holding up a finger to indicate they should all wait.

"Oh, this is going to be _so_ much fun for us, too." Charmcaster muttered. "Like you weren't longwinded enough before."

Gwen ignored her, writing. _'Normal people safe. But Charm and I can't handle more sneak attacks.'_

"Let me see! …Of course we can handle it!" Charmcaster said, pouting. "But I see your point. I don't want to look all bruised and pockmarked like you two."

Gwen winced, once again reminded that she didn't want to see what was under the bandages.

"Ignore her." Kevin said, giving Charmcaster a dirty look. "You'll be fine in a couple days- and it doesn't look that bad!" He was quick to add, seeing Gwen's expression.

"Wait, you're all going on patrol tonight?" her dad asked, giving her mom a look. "Natalie, even if she wasn't grounded, she's in the hospital…"

"She'll be fine. Really, Caroline's the one who's lost a lot of blood."

"I'm fine, thanks to that fancy healing stuff." Charmcaster said. She turned to Gwen. "The guys mentioned you all fixed me up with some kind of fancy alien technology? I'm feeling fine now. Doctors gave me some blood, so I'm up for a road trip tonight."

Gwen's parents were muttering in the corner now, and she caught he mom say, "we'll talk about it when we get home" before they said their good-bye's and left the hospital.

"Be careful!" her mom called, "And don't talk!"

Like Gwen needed the reminder. Her throat felt swollen and weird.

"With all the excitement, I almost forgot I have to modify my car and the Rust Bucket." Kevin muttered, yawning. Gwen looked at the clock. The night had flown by, and it was now 4am. Time flies when people are almost getting killed. "You gonna be ok, here?" He asked, squeezing Gwen's hand once before letting go. She frowned. Did she really have to stay?

"They want you here under observation." Ben said, shaking his head. "I know, it's silly… but we might as well stay until tonight." He sighed. "Guess I'm stuck babysitting the girls, since you have work to do." He said to Kevin.

Whack! Twack!

Two pillows smacked into Ben at varying forces at the word "babysitting," the more aggressive one accompanied by an angry growl from Charmcaster. It was enough to put him off-balance, and lean further back into the window. "Hey! Come on!"

'_Jerk.'_ Gwen wrote on her board, raising an eyebrow. Kevin laughed as he walked out of the room.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three: Saved Your Life

Gwen knew Ben had to stay. They couldn't run the risk of one of the girls skipping to someone evil in a hospital full of people without someone capable of stopping them.

Still, Ben could be a real jerk sometimes.

They had to sneak out of the hospital, in the end, since the doctors didn't want to let them leave. By five pm everyone was assembled in front of Kevin's house, both his car and Grandpa Max's RV carrying a giant cannon attached to the top.

'_nice job_.' Gwen wrote at Kevin, giving him a 'thumbs up.' He smiled back, grabbing her hand and tugging her to the side as the rest of their group discussed where they would both be heading first.

"I don't like leaving you like this… not when you're injured."

'_I'm fine_.' She scribbled hurriedly

"Look, I want Ben to go with you and Max. Charmcaster seems fine, and the two of us could handle one of those monsters if it came out."

'_U sayin I can't?_'

"I'm saying that Manama… minama… mina…"

'_Almamana Agent_.' Gwen wrote, amused.

"Right. Wow. That's a mouthful. Anyways, that thing sapped your Mana, didn't it? Exactly what do you have left?"

Kevin was always too good at reading her. She was feeling weak, tired from the drain on her magic. She was sure she could still pack a whallop, but Kevin had a point- she was weaker than Charmcaster at this point.

'_Fine. Me, Ben, Max in the RB. Watch Charm's back._'

"Absolutely… RB?"

Gwen sighed, scraping at the board with her hand and messily answering '_Rust Bucket.'_

"Oh. Makes sense."

Before turning back, Gwen boldly leaned forward and kissed Kevin, so quickly it almost didn't happen. Even such a small kiss made her feel warm, and she gathered strength from the feel of his lips on hers.

….

"Ugh. This is the worst. Being stuck with you." Charmcaster said, taking a right so sharp Kevin was certain they were both going to die.

"That's it! Pull over! I'm driving."

"No way."

"Why!? Do you seriously care that I don't have a license!?"

"No, not really, but I know it annoys you to have someone else drive your car."

"It annoys me to have _you_ drive my car."

"Same difference." She said, smirking at him.

"Watch the road!"

"Don't be such a nervous nelly. I _do_ know how to drive, you know."

"Not that I've seen so far! Stop crossing the line! Stay on your side of the road!" It was true. Every time Charmcaster started talking she started drifting into the oncoming traffic lane. Kevin still wasn't sure if she was doing it on purpose to rile him up, but either way he was well on his way to freaking out. If this chick totaled his car…

"Oops! Missed a turn back there!" She cried, pulling out and around in a highly illegal u-turn in the middle of the road. Thankfully there wasn't much traffic around, but the jarring arc make Kevin's neck hurt.

"_Pull over_!"

"Nooooooope!" She answered joyfully, laughing.

Finally, after what seemed like hours to Kevin, She pulled the car to the side. They had traveled off the main freeway and down a small dirt road in the middle of the forest. They'd manage to take down three other rips before this, but this time it was much farther away from the city.

"At least it wasn't too far off the main road." Charmcaster muttered, leaving the car and walking forward. She was holding a hand out in front of her to sense the Mana coming out of the rip, assuming that odd glassy-eyed look she got when looking at Mana the rest of them couldn't see. "We should be able to reach it with the canon without having to detach it and carry it."

It hadn't even occurred to Kevin that some of the rips could be somewhere vehicles couldn't make it. If it had been further back into the tightly knit trees… ugh. What a pain it would be to have to take the cannon off his car. He had to agree with Charmcaster on this one; lucky it was only about fifteen yards ahead of the cannon.

"Alright, let's do this and call in a night." Kevin said. It was getting late, but more than that, he had had enough of Charmcaster, her terrible driving, and her snarky attitude.

"Deal." The girl muttered as Kevin walked back towards the car to turn on the cannon.

He heard it before her, apparently. The soft hissing, coming from the woods to his left. He wheeled around on his heel, yelling, "Look out!" just as three squirming sparkly flatworms propelled themselves out of the brush and straight towards Charmcaster. She put up a shield as quick as she could, and the worms landed on it, sticking and hissing. Kevin grabbed at a nearby tree, absorbing the wood. It was the best he could find, and given the situation he didn't think he could afford to walk all the way back to the car.

The worms were moving, chewing on the shield. One busted through, and Charmcaster had to drop her defenses in order to yell the spell to vanquish the one closest to her.

Kevin, hoping the things didn't eat wood, reached right for the last two and picked them up by their tails just as they were coiling to spring. Sure enough they ignored him, both hissing and straining towards Charmcaster.

She was breathing hard, looking a little gray. "This… is taking too much out of me. I don't have the Mana for all this crap."

"Get in the car!" Kevin yelled, tossing the worms as far away from the two of them as he could once she had made it safely inside. He ran, happy to find that Charmcaster had chosen the passenger seat in her panic.

"Just drive." She growled when Kevin jumped into the driver's seat, rubbing at her arms as if she were cold.

….

Gwen peeled at the top of the bandage on her neck, wincing as it pulled at a scabbed-over bite mark. She was supposed to put on antibacterial cream and new bandages, but she was dreading finding out what her skin looked like.

Her neck was coated in ugly purple-black bruises, marring her skin with painful blotches. There were tiny red spots, too, where the creatures hidden teeth had dug into her and held on. Those were the most painful- a couple bled when she took the bandages off.

She removed her shirt and unwrapped the bandages on her arm, too, groaning inwardly as she saw that it looked much the same as her neck. Gross.

"Gross." Charmcaster said from the doorway.

'_Don't you ever knock_?' Gwen tried to mouth, but Charmcaster just shook her head.

"You know, I'm getting to like this new "silent" type Gwen." She helped herself to a seat on Gwen's bed, plopping down and patting the spot in front of her. "You can't put that stuff on yourself- sit down and I'll help."

Gwen obeyed, not really seeing another way around it. She couldn't reach the spots on her shoulder blade that had been damaged, afterall.

"It's not too bad. I know I looked a lot worse when I got back from LedgerDomain. That's where I was, when I skipped. Another dimension version of my home… but not much different." Charmcaster was awfully chatty, now that Gwen was struck silent. It was a good thing- Gwen had been curious about what had happened to the girl to injure her like that. "Only in this other dimension, I didn't escape. I tried to fight my way out, but…" She shrugged, dabbing cream on Gwen's back, "obviously the other me failed."

Gwen wondered what happened to the other version of Charmcaster. Hopefully she had made it out…

"I'm only going to say this once, and don't tell Levin… but thanks. To you both. For saving my life and all."

Even if Gwen could talk, she was struck dumb. A real thank you?

"Not that I owe you or anything, after what happened in the hospital. I mean, I saved your life too."

Gwen turned her head and mouthed '_thank you_,' but Charmcaster just waved her away. "Yeah, yeah. Save it. Levin saved me again today, too." She shook her head. "It's annoying."

Gwen rolled her eyes. Yes, having your life saved was very annoying. Charmcaster could be so ridiculous in her stubborn self-pride.

The two sat in silence while Charmcaster finished wrapping her bruised skin in fresh bandages.

"There." She said as Gwen pulled her camisole pajama top on. "Oh, and by the way?"

Gwen looked up, waiting.

"Don't worry, I won't tell your parents about that."

Gwen's brow furrowed, and she looked at Charmcaster with a sideways expression of confusion.

The older girl raised a hand, moving her finger forward in a "Look at what I'm pointing at" movement before she disappeared out the door.

Gwen turned around… and there was Kevin, raising a hand to knock on her window.

She pursed her lips, frustrated. She grabbed her whiteboard, and wrote _'#2'_ on it in reference to her mother's rules that were imposed on her.

Kevin shrugged, either not understanding or pretending not to.

Gwen rushed to the window, flinging it open, but not standing back to let the boy in.

"I know you can't talk, but I wanted to check up on you. I couldn't exactly call."

Gwen scribbled on her whiteboard. '_Text_?'

"Uh… yeah, I guess I could have done that." Kevin admitted. He grinned. "But it wouldn't have been as much fun." He leaned forward, grabbing her lips with his own through the open window.

Ok. The scene was pretty romantic, Gwen had to admit. The whole "meeting at her window" thing was very classic fairytale, but honestly… Her parents would kill her if they found out he was there. She was running out of second chances.

She broke the kiss, looking over her shoulder nervously.

"Relax- I don't want to get you in trouble. I'll leave. I just wanted to make sure you were alright…"

She nodded. She hoped he hadn't seen her a few minutes ago, without the bandages. She looked hideous…

Of course, maybe she was being a little silly. It didn't matter to her when Kevin had had his… unconventional mixed-media body not so long ago.

He kissed her, again, and this time he broke the kiss. "Glad to see you seem to be doing fine."

…

Gwen walked over to Ben's the following afternoon with Charmcaster. Another night of closing rips was in store for the group, and neither Mana-user was particularly excited at the prospect.

Those worms… they were just awful. The last thing Gwen wanted was a new set of bruises. She was glad they hadn't encountered any last night, with her group.

"How could you forget?" Julie cried out as the girls approached.

Charmcaster grinned at Gwen. "Trouble in paradise?"

Gwen shook her head. She had no idea.

"Forget! I didn't forget… uh, what's today?"

"Friday." Kevin answered helpfully.

"Oh." Ben answered, cringing as Julie went into a tirade.

"We had a date, and all you can say is "oh?" I know you're busy, but you could at least call me to let me know."

"I, uh…"

"Forget it. I guess I'll use the time to practice tennis." Julie said. She stomped off about five steps, sighed, and returned to Ben. "Just cause I'm mad at you doesn't mean I don't want you to be careful, so… be careful out there." Ben looked flummoxed and stumbled over angry retorts and "thank you's" as his girlfriend left the open garage.

"I don't understand what just happened." Ben said, sighing as he leaned against his parent's car. Gwen noticed her cousin's borrowed car was outfitted with a cannon, too. She pointed towards it and shrugged her shoulders to ask the question.

"Still can't talk, huh?" Ben asked as if he expected an answer. "Grandpa Max can't make it- says he's got a meeting with the plumbers… so that's hopeful."

Gwen nodded. That was good news. It meant that they had discovered something that might help the situation.

"So it's just us tonight." Kevin said, grinning.

Gwen held out her board. She had already prewritten, '_You're still riding with Charm_.'

"What? Aw, come on…"

Gwen was still pretty angry with him about last night- it was a stupid risk… but it was also kinda sweet. He just wanted to see her. She was angry, but happy. Anpy?

She shook her head. If people could read her thoughts, they might not think she was such a genius.

At that moment, she saw Charmcaster's eyes widen as her own eyes flashed pink, and she knew it was just going to be that kinda day.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: I just have to answer one particular reviewer. **

**Mr Levin: I can see your point. People see certain characters very differently, and while I've never actually thought of Kevin as "snarky," it is true I may have diffused his comic relief role a bit by introducing Charmcaster into the story. Sorry if that makes you want to stop reading- I'm just writing him how I see him. Maybe I'll look a little closer at the upcoming chapters, but I just don't think I've left a lot of room for Kevin to make many jokes.**

**As far as the car thing goes… well, I think it's very hard to say no to Max Tennyson. Kevin has no problem driving his car without a license- like, **_**at all**_**- but Max is sort of in charge of the "close the rips" mission. Plus… I wanted to write Charmcaster driving, because I imagined it would be just horrible. XD **

**On the other hand, since your name **_**is**_** Mr Levin, if I reread your post as if you're role playing it becomes really, really funny in my mind, and if that was your intention I salute you. **

**Either way, good constructive criticism. **** Thanks!**

Chapter Twenty-Four: Glarp

"Gwen!" Charmcaster yelled, grabbing the girl as she began to tip forward. Gwen regained her balance quickly, pushing Charmcaster away.

"Ugh, get off me!" She yelled, her lip curling.

Her voice was similar to Gwen's… but not. There was some kind of indistinguishable twang to it. Like valley girl, mixed with a lisp, but _not_. She gave Charmcaster a once-over, and in an instant, her attitude did a complete flip-flop. "Oh! Like, your hair is swimmin! You use ionized quell brand shampoo?" She was petting Charmcaster's head, now, feeling her silver hair. "Wow. I thouwt of going white, too, but, like, you know… my husband's blond, and matchin is like so blow."

All anyone could do was stare. What kind of phycho incarnation of Gwen was this? The girl looked similar to Gwen, but with a few key differences: She was curvier, and her hair was curled into tight ringlets, and somehow her very _violet _eyes looked just a bit bigger.

"Oh! Look! Our eyes are like, matchy!" The other-Gwen said, gesturing frantically between her and Charmcaster's eyes. "I wuz like, all greeny-eye, but I surged to purple cause it's, like, now!" Gwen gave the other girl a look, a hand to her face in thought as she still held onto Charmcaster's waist with another arm. "You know, I know this Tetramand, who's always up for a three-way with purple-eyes!"

Charmcaster shot Kevin a pleading glance. "Ok, I give up. I think she just touched my butt. Help me." She said, her hands in the air.

"Uh, hey, Gwen, have you been skipping dimensions, too?" Kevin tried, completely at a loss for how to help. Really, this Gwen was scaring him a lot more than the sharp-toothed one.

Gwen ignored him completely, jumping onto a new subject like a goldfish.

"Whur am I?" She asked, looking around the small garage. When she finally turned and saw the world outside the garage door, she froze. "Um I, like, in a holo chamber or something? Cause that's, like, swimming an all but I got to meet peoples tonight."

"No, you're in our world…" Ben tried.

Gwen trained her eyes on him, blinking slowly. "You… all greeny-eye too. Did you surge? Not many natural greeny-eyes left. You know… you look familiar."

"I'm Ben! Your cousin, Ben? You don't know me?" Ben looked far more shocked at that than he probably should have been.

Gwen stared for a minute, then burst out laughing. "We, like, don't have family. All died in the burst, you know? No big surprise, right?"

"Oh." Ben said, looking to Kevin. "I'm dead? That must be the saddest, most depressing world ever."

Gwen gave him a blank look, obviously not getting his attempt at humor.

"Ok, let's try to explain this to you very slowly…" Kevin started, hands out in a soothing gesture like he was trying to calm down a rabid animal. "You're in another dimension…"

"Whut? Hey, you're kinda cute…"

"This is going to take awhile." Charmcaster muttered, standing further away from the girl than anyone.

….

Gwen blinked, and found herself sleeping in a very unfamiliar room. Her bed was a large four-poster, maybe a queen, with plush red curtains and silk sheets. The room itself was a normal size, but the rest of the furniture seemed gaudy, expensive, and mis-matched. There were some clearly alien boxes and mirrors, coupled with a lion-footed old vanity and a chaise lounge. Like someone had decorated the room to look Victorian and mixed it with futuristic glowing furniture. There was a large curtain over one wall, and Gwen stood to move it away from what she hoped was a window.

She paused halfway, looking at herself in a huge mirror across from the bed.

She was totally and completely _naked_, except for an absurd amount of cheap-looking jewelry pieces. Her neck, her ears, her wrists, her ankles… all had shiny costume jewelry on them.

She looked around frantically, double-checking that she was alone.

Before opening what had to be a giant window, she decided it would be wise to find some clothes. Quickly, she ran over to a giant silver box built into the wall. Small lines of light ran through it, down to the floor, and from the floor over to the bed. It was someone's idea of the ideal futuristic space, clashed together with an absurd amount of baroque furniture crammed into a space that was far too small for it all.

She opened the built-in wardrobe, and the lights running through it pulsed. The whole room got brighter, allowing her to see the clothing inside.

If that's what you would call the odd mix of fabrics hanging in the cube. It was… horrible. No one outfit had enough fabric to make a napkin, let alone a decent covering.

She heard a sound- a clattering noise- coming from outside her room, and decided she didn't have time to be picky. She wasn't alone.

She grabbed the hanger holding the largest outfit- a bikini top with long sleeves attached at just one small point at the shoulder, and a mini-skirt with lights running through it.

Oh god. Was this version of her some kind of intergalactic stripper? Cause that's really what it looked like at that point.

The outfit did nothing to hide her purple bruising, and she frowned at the image in the mirror.

"Gwen!" A voice called out from outside her room. A male voice. A male voice that, this time, was not Kevin. "Get up! We have, like, parties!"

Gwen gulped. She was sure she was going to have to deal with whoever that was eventually, but first…

She walked over to the window, pulling back the fabric with a "snap."

The sight in front of her made her jaw drop.

Below her was a cityscape like nothing she had ever seen before. Most of the building's in front of her looked the same- white, cylindrical skyscrapers with many apartment windows, some obviously pulsing with strobe lights. There was a park nearby, which was the only bit of real color in the whole scene.

The scary part, however, was what was above her. She was clearly inside a giant dome, like a snowglobe, and she could see the edge where the bubble ended on the horizon. It didn't look especially big… A small city, squished together with tall buildings to make room for the park below. She got the feeling the park was the center of the city, and she had the urge to visit it. Maybe she could find someone down there with answers about this world. Later. After she dealt with the stranger in her home. If this even _was_ her home.

She walked towards the door, and it flew open to admit her automatically. Beyond the door was a living room with no TV, the chairs instead aimed towards each other. There was a small coffee table in the middle, and some sort of humming device was sitting there, the focus of the whole room. A soft blue gas was puffing out of it in clouds, and the whole place seemed to be hazy with it.

There was no sign of a kitchen, but by a small machine built into the wall stood the source of the male voice, holding something. He turned around, facing her with two plates of food… and Gwen screamed.

…

"Earth is gone." Gwen said simply, sitting on the couch in Ben's living room. It had taken awhile for them to get the idea through to her that she was on Earth in another dimension, and that was her response.

"What?" Ben asked, eyes wide.

"Earth. We lurn about it, you know, onscreen. But it was, like… um… vaporized in the burst." She looked happy with her word choice, nodding. "I was a baby, then. My Grandpa was a plumber, and sent me off-planet. Everyone else who didn't have, like, plumber or alien connections was, like, too late or something." She shrugged. "Thur are, like, five hundred humans left? Right? Onscreen tells us five hundred."

"Who destroyed earth?" Ben asked, looking very disturbed.

Gwen shrugged. "I, like, can't connect to onscreen. I can't get the info if I can't connect. I don't remember." She made a face, sticking out her tongue. "Most left are, like, so not my type. My husband is, like, the only cute one, so I wuz, like lucky to be paired with him. At first, I was all like 'swimmin,' but really he can be boring. And like, he's not even full human? But some is better than none for a husband, right?" She looked at Charmcaster like she expected the girl to understand her.

_No one_ could understand her.

If her strange, uneducated accent wasn't bad enough, she tended to flip through subjects quicker than they could follow.

What kind of world did Gwen get shoved into? As far as Kevin could tell, it wasn't good.

"Five hundred humans left? Where do you live?" he tried, attempting to get some information from the girl.

"Like, Glarp. We all live in Habitat. The plumbers built it for us, but it was really expensive, so council, uh, Council bought it and makes the rules." The girl blinked, looking at Kevin. "You're worried about the other-me? If I believed you, I would, like, tell you not to worry. We get everything we need, whenever we want it. It's, like easy. Plus, it's a vacation-town. Lots of fun visitors, so, like, it's never boring-making!"

Kevin wasn't sure how to take that. He was glad to hear that Gwen- his Gwen- would be ok. But overall… it seemed like a sad situation for the human race. "It's a zoo." He muttered, and Ben looked disturbed, folding and unfolding his arms like he didn't know what to do with them. Charmcaster said nothing, just stared at the other-Gwen.

"Oh, she may have to deal with Michael. But that's, like, no problem. I'm hungry!" She whined, jumping up off the couch. "And these clothes are Glarp." She ran to a mirror, examining herself. "Ew. Bandages are so post-surge. You want to look post-surge like you look hot, but not post-surge like you just surged, right?"

No one had an answer to that.

She began unwrapping the bandages around her neck. "Thur. It's, like, better now, right?"

She turned back to the group, and they all stared.

"You have… gills?" Kevin managed to choke out.

"Um… I think I'm going to go order us some food. Seems like it's going to be a long night." Ben said, escaping the room and running into the kitchen. Smart bastard.

"Glarp! Gills are all the now! Plus, like, I have a Beluien boyfriend, and Beluien's dig gills…"

"Girl gets around." Charmcaster said, sending Kevin an amused look. Now that she wasn't being groped, she seemed to be finding the humor in the situation.

Kevin just groaned. He definitely was feeling something like frustrated jealously over this whole thing, but she wasn't his Gwen. He just had to keep repeating that in his head. Not his Gwen, not his Gwen, not his Gwen…

"Well, I mean, who doesn't like to have fun when they party? Some humans left had icky genes, but thanks to surging everyone looks how they want. So, like, there are some swimmin humans. But mostly, alien boys are more fun. Though, course, you have to like your given-mate, so even if they're, like, boring-making you have to party with them most of the time." She gave them all odd looks. "You're all at least, like, sixteen. You know how it works. You must all have mated-pairs of your own, right?"

Charmcaster sighed. "Different dimension, remember hon? We pick our own spouses here. And no, we don't have them. And generally cheating on them is frowned upon."

Kevin wished Charmcaster wouldn't encourage the conversation to continue. He really didn't want to hear more.

"What? Cheating? Like, having a hybrid baby? Totally not swimming. The Council gets upset cause, like, we all have to do our best for humanity, you know? Pairs are made for the best genetic, like, outcome and stuff. My husband and I are supposed to, you know, make mostly-human babies. But that's all. Sex is, like, not the same as cheating, right?"

"I think I'm about done listening. Our Gwen will be safe there, and that's all I care about." Kevin said, standing up. "I'm going home- we can't possibly get any work done tonight with her like this."

"Plus, like, my husband isn't full human, you know. He's got to take these energy tabs with his food. It's, like, kinda annoying. He isn't allowed to take energy from me, cause I'm his wife, right? But I still think it's creepy."

Kevin felt the hair at the base of his neck prickle up, and he removed his hand from the knob of the front door and turned slowly around. "What did you say your husband's name was, again?" he asked carefully.

"Michael. It's like, kinda boring, but it's an Earth name."

"And the last name?"

She cocked her head to the side like a confused puppy. "Morningstar." She answered simply.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five: Habitat

"What's wrong? Are you tripping? Buzzers first thing in the morning is, like, not smart. Breathe in some Mist- you know it'll help."

Darkstar. It was Darkstar standing in front of her. He handed her a plate, giving her a questioning look. "Did you surge again? Ditched the gills? Add new colors?"

Gwen was speechless. She took the plate, staring at the handsome boy in front of her. The handsome boy that, in her world, was made of pure evil 90% of the time.

"I, uh… why are you here?" She croaked, picking at a few bites of the food in an attempt to seem normal before she realized that whatever she was eating was blue. She set the plate down carefully on a side table. Her tongue felt oddly numb…

Darkstar blinked. He stepped closer, studying her face. Gwen backed up instantly, feeling the wall at her back. He stepped forward again, his face inches from hers. Should she punch him? Would that be ok?

"You're eyes are all greeny. Are you bored with surging? Ready to be human, again?" he smirked, and she got the feeling he was picking on her, somehow. He sounded… several brainwaves short of a full set, but still capable of mocking her. He set a hand on her shoulder, and she held her breath. If he tried anything, she would blast him. But she couldn't afford to act suspicious unless it was an emergency.

"Why are you here?" She tried again, hoping for some answers. It was still hard to talk- her words felt abrasive as they come up her throat. She wished she could just hide in the bedroom the rest of her skip, but she couldn't do that with Darkstar in her apartment.

"I live here." His eyes narrowed. "Did you bring someone home last night? Is that why you're all glarp?" he grinned. "Is it a woman? Cause we could skip the parties if you wanna have a little fun together…"

Gwen was starting to get a bad feeling about this world. "No. It's just me here." She would bring a woman home? Was she a lesbian in this world? Because she could definitely handle that if it meant she could make Darkstar leave her the hell alone.

But then why did he sound like he was implying something? Oh god, she didn't sleep with Darkstar in this world, did she? "We didn't… you and I aren't…"

"Gwen." He frowned, leaning even closer, his eyes level with hers. "It's Michael. Your husband? You really are tripping on buzzers, huh?"

Her _what_!? Oh, this was hell. How, in any dimension, could she be fooled into marrying this asshole!? Unless she doesn't know? Maybe this-world Gwen still doesn't understand just what kind of person Darkstar is?

Or maybe here he wasn't a bad guy. Maybe she was being judgmental about a person she didn't even know.

In any case, she wasn't going to let him get any closer.

"Well, if you're buzzed, let's party." He leaned even closer, his mouth split in a disconcerting grin. "Gwen…" he muttered, and out of nowhere he dove for her lips. His mouth pressed forcefully and painfully against her's, and she felt herself let go of a panicked wave of Mana to push him away.

…

"So, Gwen is trapped in another world with Darkstar as her husband!?" Ben asked, the pizza he had ordered being scarfed down by the other-Gwen. "That's just… pretty twisted."

Kevin frowned. He was worried about her- what if the guy tried something…

"This food is great! I've, like, never eaten this before!" Gwen called, excited.

"Gwen can handle herself." Kevin said, more to himself than anyone else. "She'll be fine."

Gwen put down her pizza and stood up, abruptly. "Hey, look at that pic!" She called, jumping up the staircase to the first landing where the Tennyson's had family pictures hanging. "Wowwie! It's little me!" She pointed at her face, grinning at Ben. "We are, like, family! So strange… maybe you weren't lying about this other-worldy stuff. Look how much we look alike… same eyes!" She sounded really excited, and grabbed one of the family pictures down off the wall. It had her, Ben, and their grandfather in it, and was probably taken about five years before.

She bounced back down the stairs and flung herself onto the couch next to Ben, nearly landing on him. "Hey, we smile the same, too! Except, you know, I'm pretty." She smiled at Ben, waiting for confirmation.

Ben smiled back, fakely, clearly uncomfortable with the goldfish memory girl bouncing around his house. "Uh, yeah. There's a little bit of a family resemblance. That tends to happen when you're, you know… related."

"You're starting to sound like her." Charmcaster said, smirking as Ben made a face.

"I don't think we should let this Gwen out of our sight for long. She's a bit too… unpredictable." Kevin said, watching the girl bounce back up to the wall, then back down to eat her forgotten pizza again.

"I'll call aunt Natalie and tell her Gwen'll have to stay here tonight. My parents are gone for the weekend on some retreat for their anniversary, so it shouldn't be a problem." Ben said, bringing his phone to his face and retreating once again to the kitchen.

"I see why his little springroll was so upset. They had a date planned with an empty house." Charmcaster said, studying her nails.

Kevin sighed. "Don't let him hear you say that." He rolled his eyes. "Why are you still here? I think we got it covered."

"Trying to get rid of me? Tough. I'm sticking by Gwen until she switches back."

"…why?" Why did she care so much, suddenly? Kevin had to admit- he was starting to hate the girl less. She did save Gwen the other day, afterall… Charmcaster wasn't completely useless.

"Maybe she's grown on me, and if she turns up with half her side missing, I should be there to help her out." She looked up over her nails at Kevin, her lips a tight line. "I'd do the same for you. I hate owing people."

Kevin blinked. He didn't feel like she owned him, but maybe she did. He didn't realize they were keeping score in the first place.

…

It didn't work. She reached for her Mana, as usual, and when it came time to use it… nothing. It was like the spot where her Mana resides was surrounded by a deep lake, and she just couldn't swim across.

He continued to kiss her.

His lips were soft but the kiss was bruising, his mouth working against her's even as she squeaked in protest. She locked a leg around the back of his, pushing him with her shoulder and tripping him to the floor with one of her karate moves. She wiped at her mouth, disgusted.

"Stay away." She rasped, jumping around the man on the floor.

"Gwen! What the glarp?" Darkstar yelled, making his way back to his feet. He looked angry, now, and took a few steps towards her.

Swish!

Gwen leaned low, swinging a long leg out to sweep his feet out from under him again. "Stay. Down." She huffed, keeping her fists up and attempting to adjust her stance.

He scrambled, grabbing at her leg before she could recover her balance from the kick. She was feeling a little… off. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion, and despite years of practice keeping perfect balance in her fighting pose, she fell.

Just as quickly, he was on her, one hand on each of her shoulders, pinning her down. He was so strong. She had no leverage, no space to fight. She struggled against him, pushing and punching him with her fists. Her punches felt weak, soft… what was wrong with her?

"What is wrong with you today?" Darkstar yelled, grabbing her wrists and pinning them tightly to her sides. He was on top of her, his body effectively trapping her despite her struggles. She tried to kick him, but he pinned her legs with his own.

"I don't want you to touch me." She said, glaring at him. "Get off."

He gave her a blank look. "Why?" he asked.

Why? He needed to know why? He seemed genuinely confused, like he didn't know why what he was doing was wrong. She struggled for words, noting with some distant feeling of relief that her throat was miraculously feeling better already. The rest of her body was rebelling, but her throat was fine.

Her mind was filling with syrup. She couldn't think, couldn't answer. She forgot the question.

He got tired of waiting for her answer, shrugged, and crashed his lips on top of hers again. His hands wandered over her, slipping under her small useless top. His fingers groped over her nipples, and she could feel something hard pressing into her thigh…

She jumped, her shock at his touch cutting through the fog in her mind. She renewed her struggles, and when he tried to slip his tongue into her mouth she bit down hard on the soft muscle.

He cried out, jumping off her instantly and holding a hand to his mouth. There was blood dripping down, and Darkstar looked extremely surprised by it. Gwen struggled to move backwards, as far away from him as she could, finally coming to another wall. "I said don't touch me." She said, wiping at her mouth again and adjusting her top.

A soft buzzing noise began, the little lights running through the room blinking red. A serene, female voice called out from everywhere at once: "_Category four domestic violence.__Issuing calming serum 435682."_

Gwen saw a pair of black slippers by a door. She grabbed them and left the apartment just as the pale blue gas began to come out a dull orange color from the object at the center of the room.

…..

The street outside the apartment was loud. Really loud. Gwen reached up, covering her ears as the loud sounds blared from all around her. Music. There was loud, obnoxious music playing.

She lowered her arms, getting used to the noise. There were people, too, everywhere. They were all dressed in just as little clothing as her, and she felt quite disappointed as she heard everyone talking. She could barely understand what people around her were saying, talking above the music, their accents peppy and slightly slurred.

"Like,glarp! Purply-eyes are so now; why wud you surge red?"

"OH! Thur's a party at Stir- I'm, like, in for a few buzzers, right?"

"I'm thinkin of gettin wings… are they now? The blue are like, swimming!"

Gwen stumbled around the blinding white streets. It seemed the only real color came from the extremely abundant exposed skin of the people around her. No one seemed to be doing anything- they were just talking and laughing and generally standing around… like the entire street was just a big party.

That's probably exactly what it was.

She remembered the park she had seen from the window, and tried to get her bearings… she was pretty sure she had come out of the high-rise on her right, which meant the park was around the block… maybe it would at least be quieter there?

Her head still felt foggy, and her movements were sluggish. As she walked, she found herself pausing now and then to stare at a girl's necklace or a man's unusually shiny belt buckle. She couldn't help it… it was like her brain would just shut off and her eyes would seek out the nearest shiny object.

Why would she be married to Darkstar? Not that he isn't good looking… his hair is really very pretty, and his jawline is nice…

What was that blue food? She was feeling hungry, actually, now that she thought about it…

Darkstar's actually really cute. Why did she run away from him again?

That girl's necklace was so nice… how did they make diamonds blink?

Her mind raced, and at the same time didn't really get too far on any one subject. There was a point when she almost gave up, turned around, and went back to the apartment for no reason she could quite place… then she remembered: Darkstar. She was supposed to be staying away from him for some reason.

But what reason?

She turned the corner, spurred on by some tiny voice remaining at the back of her brain that told her to continue, to put as much distance between her and the blond boy as possible. She turned the corner and sure enough found herself at the park she had seen from her window.

There were trees… in fact, there seemed to be exactly one of every kind of tree imaginable. Gwen blinked. She wasn't a tree expert, but she knew she should be able to place some of the trees… right then, she couldn't even remember the name of the one with little spindly things all over it. A Christmasy tree? Yes, that was it's name.

Other than the trees, however, the park was barely recognizable as a park.

Booths set up in lines covered the ground, their roofs white canvas and their goods mostly trinkets. There was no food for sale, but cheap jewelry like the kind Gwen found on herself was everywhere. It still seemed like a party, and she found herself weaving through humans and aliens shopping and dancing.

Oh, that was different, though. There were more aliens here in the park. In fact… all the shops were run by aliens, too.

Her head was still light, but she no longer felt any pain. Not her throat, and not her arm. The bruise was still there… but the welts appeared to be smaller and less red. Somehow, she was being healed. She took a deep breath, trying hard to push past the fog and think.

There was a fake sun in the sky, simulating daylight in the space colony. She was clearly not on a planet- the space was much too small. Too fake.

"Gwen!" she thought she heard seeping through the crowd. No, she wanted to lose herself in the crowd, hide from Darkstar… she didn't want to be recognized.

"Gwen!" the voice called again, and she finally saw the source: It was a four-arms, a Tetramand, standing behind a booth full of sparkly costume jewelry. He was a dark red with short-cropped black hair. He didn't look like anyone she knew in her world, so she was tempted to just walk right by.

But something told her to stop. She needed a friend in this world, someone to hide her… was this a friend of hers? He was waving pretty frantically, with all four of his large arms.

She looked around her, checking to see if anyone was watching her. No one was paying any attention to her, and Darkstar was nowhere to be seen. She walked over, briskly, pushing past a couple dancing in the street and laughing like children.

"Holy… are you out of your mind, girl?" The Tetramand said, the smile vanishing from his face the moment she reached his booth. She squinted her eyes at him, confused. "You're all over the onscreen! They're looking for you."

"The… onscreen?" Gwen was finding it hard to think, but she knew she had never heard that word before.

"Yes, they're announcing that it seems you haven't been eating." He said the last part as a whisper, leaning close with a large red hand to his mouth. "You're lucky they haven't caught you yet."

"They? Does everyone else here know someone's after me?" She looked around. Most people where ignoring her, but she thought she spotted a curious glance or two from some of the aliens in the area.

The Tetramand gave her an odd look, and all of his eyes opened wide at once. "You… you're not connected to onscreen? You got rid of your chip?"

Gwen didn't know how she should answer that. She stared at him, her mouth hanging open slightly.

He looked around, nervously. "Come with me." He stepped away from the booth, walking back towards the nearest building. He stopped when he realized she wasn't following. "Gwen," he said, coming closer. "You know me, and this might be your only chance. Please- just trust me."

She wasn't sure why… but she did. He sounded so sincere, and her head was feeling so fuzzy… she followed him to the building behind his stand, through a door marked "Jari enterprises."

There were boxes, everywhere, presumably loaded with more jewelry to sell. He led her past these and through another door, which opened up into a kind of living quarters. This one, unlike her own, had a full kitchen and was a very plain and simple stainless-steel setup, something she would expect an alien to live in.

He put a hand on her back, leading her to a cushy chair that was three times too big for her. She had the odd urge to curl up in it and take a nap, but something told her this wasn't the time… "I don't…" She started, then forgot what she was going to say.

"Ok, I know you're confused… but if you've figured out that you shouldn't eat, then you must have figured out what's happening around here." He pulled a flat device from a drawer and proceeded to scan her with it. The red light ran across her eyes and she blinked.

Eat? She shouldn't eat? How silly… she was hungry. "I only ate two bites of breakfast." She said, happy to hear her voice ring out clear. No more croaky throat.

"You did eat, then?" The Tetramand said with a look of surprise. He frowned, looking down at the device in one of his four hands. "You're definitely chip-free, though. Look, it's not important. They're broadcasting through onscreen to all humans to look for you, and all off-worlders are being sent messages on their various devices." He held up what looked like a cell phone with her picture on it. "They're always watching you, and they found your actions this morning suspicious, so they assumed you were not eating. They won't stop until they find you."

"Find me? Why me?" She wondered, giving the guy a blank stare.

"Because you're valuable. Look, I didn't know when I first come here. I just wanted to make some money from tourists…" he rifled through a bag on the floor by the opposite wall, pulling out a slip of paper. He handed it to Gwen.

It was a pamphlet, that said "Habitat for Humanity" across the top. It showed happy humans and aliens, dancing under strobe lights. She opened the packet, frowning. More happy people. Drinking, dancing, playing volleyball… nothing seemed malicious about the paper.

"That's how they advertise Habitat. It's a vacation spot for aliens that like to party, and that's all I thought it was." He sighed, taking a seat across from her and leaning down with his arms on his knees so he could speak low and she could still hear. "I only found out recently about the food. The reason why they say it's 'specially formulated for human consumption,' why they won't let us eat it or sell you real food. It's drugged. The entire surviving human population is stupid, weak, and drugged. Of course, it also keeps you healthy, so _technically_ they weren't lying…"

The revelation shocked Gwen. Was that why she hadn't been able to use her Mana? Was that why she felt like her brain was dipped in molasses?

"But… why?"

"Why? Why anything in the universe? Money. The Council Corp. bought this place out years ago, and the plumbers let them. Plumbers can't afford to feed and care for every human left alive- they have more important things to do. Better to privatize the operation, they thought. But when the Council bought it, they turned it into some kind of crazy, party zoo." He shook his head, looking perplexed. "I just thought that was the natural state for humans: flighty, fun loving creatures who probably blew up their own planet in their stupidity."

"Blew up… what…"

"They make a lot of money on this place, and on the humans here. They've even sold a few off, I've heard, though that's all off the books. You're allowed to surge all you want, but your genes still say you have that super bright red hair. That's rare, that's valuable, and that's why they're looking so hard for you. They need you to produce offspring with that same gene, because aliens come from all around to see the _variety_ of human life." He smiled at her, leaning closer. "I have to say, the red hair is what attracted me to you in the first place, you know. I got a thing for red…"

Gwen blinked. This was not where she wanted the conversation to go… right? Why couldn't she think? What had she been wondering? Something… Earth…

"You surged your eyes back. I liked the purple." He frowned. "Going for a natural look? That's fine,I like that..." He smiled, his four eyes blinking in unison.

"Uh…. Thanks?"

"I know we've had our fair share of fun together, but actually I like you for more than just your incredibly small human body. I like you as a person, and it hurts to know, now, that you're actually a prisoner. I want to free you. Will you leave this place, with me?"

Free. Free was a good word, right? Yes, she wanted to be free. "I think… yes." She said.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: I admit that I've seen more of Ultimate Alien lately, and these later chapters are more recent. Perhaps my vision of Kevin is skewed by the later, more mature Kevin (as one reviewer pointed out). I don't really envision him as the jealous type: I think of him and Gwen as partners, and he knows she can take care of herself. He wants to do what he can to protect her, but he's not going to baby her or get jealous of some guy she'll certainly blast for touching her. Kevin is, I admit now, a very difficult character to write! I guess I didn't even realize how difficult until now. I will certainly remember these points when writing future fics, so thanks for the input! **

**Sujibay: because you asked nicely…. Here's chap 26 a little early! . I only release things slowly for two reasons: 1. If I dumped this fic all at once, I wouldn't get any reviews. 2. I like to double and triple check my editing,be cause I tend to miss things pretty often. Plus, I switch between computers and sometimes I have format problems, like words squishing together for no freaking reason! Lol.**

Chapter Twenty-Six: Dangerous game

"Wake up!" Charmcaster yelled, throwing on the light switch on the wall of the living room as she ran down the staircase. "We have a problem!"

Kevin jerked his body up off the couch, feeling a little dizzy from waking up so fast. "Wha…?"

Ben ran down the stairs after Charmcaster. "What's happening..?"

"She's gone. I woke up to find the bathroom, and she was gone."

"What!? What kind of bodyguard are you?" Ben yelled.

"Bodyguard!? What were you two doing while she left the house? How am I the only one at fault?"

"You were sharing a bed with her- we kinda thought you would notice if she left."

"Quit arguing- we need to search the house." Kevin called as he ran through the kitchen. It was worth a try, but somehow they all suspected they wouldn't find her nearby…

After giving Ben's house a once-over they regrouped in the garage. "Can you get a lock on her?" Kevin growled at Charmcaster.

The blond shook her head. "I'm not very good at tracking life-forces, and her Mana is so faint… if we drive around, maybe I can pick up on something. I need to be closer…"

"Well, she couldn't have gotten far." Ben said, walking towards the car he had borrowed from his parents for the weekend. He got about two steps before he stopped, abruptly.

"I wouldn't bet on it." Kevin muttered, as they all noticed the empty spot where Ben's car had been parked. "I'm Guessing you hang up your keys by the door?"

"Uh… maybe."

"Well, let's get in the Mystery Machine and get on her trail." Charmcaster said, running towards the green car parked on the street, ignoring the soft rain that was beginning to fall.

"Don't call it that!" Kevin replied, chasing her.

….

Three days. That was when the next scheduled flight out of Habitat was for Jari, the alien who had saved her from wandering the streets and getting caught. And from what she had gathered, flights always had to be scheduled.

She chewed on the vegetable she had been handed thoughtfully. It was magenta and leafy, but it tasted pretty good. More importantly, it wasn't drugged like the other foods in Habitat. Jari had said that if she ate normal food, she'd feel better in no time.

Good. She was sick of being weak, and she was sick of not thinking clearly.

"How did you get your chip out without the Council finding out?" Jari asked, running a scanner over her arm again as she ate, as if he expected to find he had made a mistake before.

She shrugged, trying to avoid the question. She didn't know this guy well enough to fill him in on what was going on with her, but she couldn't think of good enough lies, either.

"Well, either way, if you're not logged into onscreen, then they can't track you. They must be frantic, by now. If we can sneak you out of here, they won't be able to tell you're onboard my ship. Once we're past the dome, you're free.

Gwen listened patiently, trying to collect her thoughts. She did feel better after eating, she found, and she was pretty sure she could feel her Mana again. "Will I be able to hide for three days?"

Jari frowned, looking down at her as he continued to work with the small chip-scanner. "We're going to try. You'll have to stay here- don't talk to anyone, and don't leave the room. I'll bring you food and take care of you, but stay here where it's safe." He said, slowly.

He was talking to her like she was slow. Until moments ago, she had felt a little slow.

"I get it. Don't worry- I'll bunker down."

"Good." He backed up, putting the instrument away. He sat down again in his chair, the gigantic size fitting him perfectly. "Now, as long as were waiting…" he smiled, "…why not play our usual games?"

….

"I, uh… I think… TURN LEFT!" Charmcaster yelled. That's how the whole trip had gone, their back-up Mana-user picking up and losing the trail periodically.

"Why would she run away?" Kevin asked, confused. It's not like she had been scared of them…

"Maybe she was just… bored? Maybe she didn't actually run- maybe she was just going for a drive?" Ben tried.

"Maybe. The girl does have the attention span of a gnat." Kevin agreed.

"STOP!" Charmcaster yelled, and Kevin hit the brakes hard. The car skidded a bit on the slick wet roads as it ground to a stop, and through the rapidly worsening rain they saw a car on the side of the road.

Ben's car.

….

"Go fish." Gwen said, holding her cards high in front of her face to hide her smile. She wasn't much of a card player, so kiddie games were about all she knew. Go fish was the first resort that came to mind to answer the Tetramand's obviously suggestive question.

She was pretty proud of her ability to play dumb, even though she was now back to her usual self. She needed to avoid capture, death, and come-on's for the length of her stay in this terrible dimension, and she thought she was doing a good job so far.

Jari grabbed a card from the table, grumbling as he did so. "This game is horrible."

"You're just saying that because you're losing."

He grumbled some more, taking his turn.

Gwen wondered if she would even be stuck in this dimension for three days. Either way, she felt confident that working towards getting her other-self off this horrible prison-planet was a good idea.

Humans were drugged, kept weak and complacent, and put into involuntary breeding programs masquerading as marriages. She had managed to gather that the whole place was run by some corporation, and that she should be very, very afraid of being found out.

"What's the worst that could happen…" She asked as she checked her deck for the card Jari asked for. "If they find me, that is?"

"They won't tolerate open defiance. They might try upping your dose in your food… or they might just sell you to a private collector to get rid of you, after harvesting your eggs, of course."

Ew. Yeah, escape was definitely her only option.

"And, if I go with you… what would that mean?"

"What? Why do you ask?"

It was hard getting a gauge on the situation while still pretending she was someone else. "I mean… how is it different from having me be sold off? Would you let me go, if I wanted to?"

He grimaced, and she wasn't sure if it was at her or his terrible hand of cards. "Of course! What kind of person do you think I am? …You don't sound like yourself, Gwen. I know you're not on the drugged food anymore, but you seem like, well..."

Her heart was thumping, nervous. Did he guess that she wasn't who she appeared to be? But he seemed like a nice guy… maybe she should tell him, anyways? No. She had to play it safe, no matter what. He might not help her if he thought she was some girl he didn't know.

"…like you've changed your mind about us. I know you have other boyfriends, but I always thought we had something special… is it the Beluinen? Driel? Cause I'll have you know, he's a punk."

Gwen cleared her throat. "Uh, no… I don't know. How _do_ I feel about you?" That was weird, phrasing it as a question at him. But she felt this was something she should know- if the other her didn't want to run off with this guy, was it presumptuous of her to do so? Even to save her from the horrors of Habitat?

Her confusion was increasing at an exponential rate, and she just wasn't sure how to handle herself. She wanted to make sure she was safe, but she also didn't want to cheat the other her out of decisions that should be hers. She would expect the same, when she got back to her world.

How would she feel if she found the other her had run off with some guy?

Not good.

"How do _you_ feel? Why are you asking _me?"_

"I want to know what you _think_ I feel for you." Gwen asked, slick as could be. That could work.

"I think… I think you always knew that us being together in any real way was against the rules, so you never let yourself think about it and just had fun. I think that if you had had a choice in a life-mate, you would have picked me, but since you didn't…" he shrugged. "We just have sex."

Gwen kept her face down, using her cards as a shield for her bright red face. She couldn't help but wonder how sex with someone as huge as a Tetramand was even physically _possible_… course, she didn't exactly have any experience herself on the subject, so she tried to stop thinking about it. Other than that part, what he said had sounded kinda sweet. Gwen had a feeling that he was in love with the other-Gwen, and that was enough for her to trust him to look out for her.

Yes, she was definitely going to go through with this escape plan.

….

Jari had left to take care of business, signing orders and having booths restocked. Apparently, he owned a good deal of the booths outside, which made it a lot easier for him to change things up to prepare for their escape plan. Originally, he wasn't planning on being on the outgoing cargo shuttle… now he would be, along with a little extra secret cargo: Gwen.

She was getting tired, now, but she had no way of telling what time it was in this place. The room didn't have windows (which actually added to the whole "hide-out space" thing), so she couldn't even look at the artificial sun. In any case, she knew she needed sleep… and she'd rather do so while Jari was out. Not that she didn't trust him, but his feelings for other-Gwen were more than platonic.

She laid down in the big gray bed. There were no sheets, no blankets- just a squishy gray slab, and she sank into it the moment she plopped down. Just a little nap. She was exhausted, and ready for a few hours of down-time…

She had no idea how long she slept on the squishy gray lump of a bed, but all the lights in the room were off when she finally opened her eyes. Did she turn them off? She didn't think so.

She rolled over, attempting to get off the bed… and smacked right into a warm body. A large, warm body.

Oh, this could get very awkward very quickly.

She laid back, scooting over towards the wall as much as she could. She was fairly certain he was asleep, but she couldn't get past him on the bed without climbing over him.

And she didn't want to do that.

_Bang!_

She sat back up, fast. What was that noise? It had come from outside the living space, which she knew was a warehouse of sorts… maybe someone had dropped a box?

But if Jari was asleep, wouldn't that make it the middle of the night? Did they have an overnight crew?

She frowned, listening. She was just being jumpy…

"_Bang_!" The door to the living space burst open, and a small sphere of light was thrown in.

Gwen jumped, and as the light expanded to fill the room she shook the large red alien beside her violently. "Get up!" She yelled, though of course the blinding light had already done that. He stirred, swiveling around to face the door.

Four men, dressed head-to-toe in militaristic helmets and bodysuits hurried through into the well-lit room. Well, not men, exactly… some kind of alien with green skin that seemed as though it were pulled too tight over their faces, giving them a permanent grimace.

"Freeze!" One of them yelled, holding a weapon out towards the bed. Gwen put her hands up, cautiously, already feeling for her Mana and making sure she was ready to fight her way out.

"Whoa, fellas."Jari said, wiping sleepily at his face. "What's the problem?" He looked over his shoulder at her, and she thought he was trying to communicate something to her through his many eyes.

She gulped, hoping she was reading the situation right. "Like, we can't even get privacy in, like, the middle of the night?" She said, doing her best impression of a stupid human. Jari put an arm around her waist, pulling her against him, and she tried to look comfortable with it.

"Gwen, identity number 280?" The alien in front asked, lowering his weapon with a frown.

"Yes?" Gwen answered quickly, trying to make her voice high and perky.

"You've been missing for twenty-four hours, since there was a disturbance in your cube."

"Oh, uh… my husband was, like, being all trippy on buzzers, and he fell and hurt himself, so I was, like, scared and left and stuff." Did that sound ok? Did they know she was lying?

"Says here you two fought…"

"What? Guh, fighting? He fell on me, and maybe I hurt him… oh, did I hurt him!? That would be, like…uh, glarp!"

All the uniformed aliens looked at each other, and finally holstered their weapons. "You have been here, the whole time?"

"Of course she's been here! Is that so unusual?" Jari yelled. "Now tell me why you're breaking into my private residence!? I'm a citizen of the galactic alliance! I have rights!"

"Uh… right you are, sir. Sorry, we had probably cause to expect that number 280 was in danger of abduction."

"What!? How dare you accuse me…?"

"Sorry, Mr. Jari, sir, but her chip has malfunctioned. Gwen? Onscreen is broken for you." He was talking slowly, now, to Gwen, trying to use simple words. "We will fix it, so come with us."

Gwen's mind was working on overtime. If she went along with them, they would implant a chip in her, and she wouldn't escape. Plus… she really didn't like the idea of having something inside her for the rest of her life that she couldn't get out. It probably wouldn't do anything in her world, but it would still bother her.

Then again, if she fought them, she wouldn't be able to hide for the next two days. They would send more men, and possibly harm Jari to boot.

"I've been wondering why, like, onscreen wasn't on! Of course, I'll, like, come!"

She stood up, and quick as a flash, Jari grabbed her arm. He was scowling, one corner of his mouth up in a snarl as he looked at the officers. Gwen put a hand on his over her arm, squeezing for him to let her go. She raised an eyebrow when he looked down at her. She had this. No problem.

She walked forward towards the officers, who were giving Jari rather nervous looks. Once she reached the green men she smiled, friendly. "So, I once had a guy tell me that Narbarian pistols are cheap and have terrible aim." Something sparked in the eye of the alien closest to her, as he realized just what she said. Before he could so much as reach for his weapon Gwen had a string of Mana wrapped around him, pulling him instantly off his feet and hanging him from the ceiling.

The other three went for their guns, and Gwen was able to knock two of them to the ground with glowing balls of Mana. She was aiming for the third when, with a great war-cry, Jari plowed into him, sending him flying into the opposite wall.

"YOU!" He yelled, pointing at her once all the officers were tied up with Mana or knocked out, "Are _not_ Gwen, and you have some explaining to do!"

"Oh." She said, moving the men to a closet with a wave of her hand. "Is it obvious?"


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Search

Kevin grabbed a couple flashlights from his glove compartment. "Only have two."

"It's fine." Charmcaster said, conjuring a werelight in her palm. "I have my own."

The three walked over to Ben's car to investigate. It was empty, and one of the wheels was flat, which would explain why it was abandoned by the side of the road.

But where was Gwen?

"Hey." Ben said, motioning from the other side of the car. Kevin ran over, wiping the pouring rain from his eyes to look at what Ben was pointing his flashlight at.

Footsteps in the mud.

"Well, it's a start." Charmcaster said, dry under the shield she cast over her head. She didn't offer the same courtesy to the boys, however.

"Let's find her." Kevin muttered, leading the way into the woods.

…

"So that's why you've been so… distant with me." Jari said, leaning against the firmly locked door of the livingspace closet, now full of unconscious guards.

Gwen nodded, sighing. She had explained everything to him- something she was getting quite good at- and he was taking it rather well. "I'm sorry- I didn't mean to deceive you, but I wasn't sure if I could trust you."

He was silent for a minute, thinking. "If what you say is true… then my Gwen will be back soon."

"Sooner or later. I don't know. My skips seem to be lasting longer and longer. Still, the sooner we get out of here the better. Unlike me, she _will _have her chip, and they _will_ be able to track her."

"Only from a certain distance. If we're far away by the time you switch back, they'll never find us."

"So, how can we leave? Is it possible to go now, break through any shield systems?"

He shook his head, then paused. "What do you know about shield systems?"

Gwen shrugged. "I'm pretty handy with computers, but I don't think I stand a chance against the more advanced systems- what program do they use?"

"Wow. I didn't even think you would know how they keep ships from taking off unscheduled… what do you do on your world, exact?"

"Help my cousin save the world, mostly. Though I do know that the easiest way to keep a ship grounded is a low-impact data field with scrambling capabilities that can mess with a ship's navigation systems… which would be bad."

"In short, we would crash right back to the ground if we tried to take off". Jari said, nodding. "Unless, of course we could disrupt the signal from the shield…"

"Which is why, once again, I ask what program they're using."

"I, uh…"

"You don't know." Gwen muttered, biting her lip. "If it's a xenoteric platform, then I can read the code. Which means I could hack their system."

"And if it's not?"

"Then… we'll crash."

"Ok." Jari said, head cocked to the side. "I always like a good gamble, crazy-smart-violent-Gwen. Let's fly."

…

Kevin swiped at the wet hair clinging persistently to the side of his face. It was so dark, he couldn't see anything past where the small beam of light cut through the pouring rainstorm.

The tracks had disappeared quickly when the forest floor switched from mud to pine needles, leaving them scrambling around aimlessly- and rather blindly.

"This is hopeless." Charmcaster muttered.

"I hate to say this…" Ben started, speaking loudly over the rain, "especially given the scooby-doo reference made earlier, but we should really split up gang. I can cover more ground as XLR8." He looked around, and pointed to the right. "I'll go this way. Charmcaster, you head back closer to the car and cover the ground around there better. Who knows? Maybe she didn't get too far, or maybe she headed back when it started raining?"

Kevin nodded, it made sense. "I'll head towards the Bellwood cliffs. Maybe she felt like going for a climb."

He hoped she wasn't_ that_ stupid- the cliffs were sure to be treacherous with all this rain… and he thought he had heard thunder in the distance a few minutes before. But still, it was worth a look. XLR8 would be able to cover all the space in the forest in less than an hour.

They should be able to find her soon.

….

They walked swiftly, making their way through the stacks of boxes towards the open-air dock where Jari had a small supply ship parked.

"It's only half-full, so they'll know something's up as soon as we lift off. They should rely on their shield bringing us down, but if that fails they may shoot at us."

"How powerful are your ships defenses?" Gwen answered quietly, hurrying to keep up with his long gait.

"Maybe you were not listening? It's a supply ship- no shields. We do have a little firepower, though, in case of pirates."

Gwen nodded. They could work with that. "Understood. We'll just have to hope they'll think I'm worth more alive than dead, and that I'm possibly retrievable." She started, getting a sudden idea. "Lean to the side!"

"What?"

"When we fly out, I'll disable the shield program. But we can act like the program shut down one of your engines. Are you a good pilot?"

"The best."

"Excellent. So can you fake an injury?"

"I suppose… but why?"

Gwen sighed, feeling frustrated. They didn't have a lot of time before the officers locked in the closet were missed. "If they think we'll be easy to catch, they'll be more likely to let us escape and then launch their own ships to follow and try to capture us. But we'll fire up the second engine as soon as we're out of range of Council's planet-based long-range weapons."

"And then we'll have a chase on our hands."

Gwen shrugged. "You _said_ you were a good pilot.

Jari grinned a large toothy grin. "I wasn't complaining."

…..

Lighting crackled, ripping across the sky and lighting up the looming rocks ahead of Kevin. He imagined he could see all sorts of twisting creatures in the shadows of the cliffs, leering down at him… what a creepy place to be in a storm. No way she would come here.

He walked along the base of the cliff, hoping that at any moment he would get a call from Ben that he had found their missing gill-girl.

No such luck. He was wandering the cliffs for close to twenty minutes, and was just about to head back, when he heard something in between the rolling thunder.

Sniffling.

His head snapped to the right, where the sound had come from. He moved along the sandstone face of the cliff, his flashlight dancing against it. Where was that noise..?

There! Again, a sniffling, moaning noise. Someone was crying.

Was she hurt?

He walked further… then heard the sound coming from behind him.

What the hell? How could he miss her?

He backtracked, following the wall again, this time tracing along it with his hand. He past some brush… and his hand pushed it inward.

The sobs got louder.

He rushed forward, ripping at the vegetation to find a hole in the cliff just big enough for a person to fit through.

…

The ship buckled, alarms going off everywhere.

"I thought you said you could disable the shield!?" Jari yelled, frantically jam all four hands against various controls.

"IF! There was an "if" involved!" She yelled back, hands typing away frantically at the keyboard in front of her. "Remember the part where I asked you what program they used, and you answered with an eloquent "um!?"

"Look, if I didn't know I didn't know! Can you fix this or what!?"

"The program's ripping through your ship's firewalls- soon it'll start shutting down the engines, the life support… everything it can infect." Gwen could feel a bead of sweat forming on her forehead as she typed. This was not her forte- she could study and study forever and still not know how to crack the most advanced alien programs in the universe! How could she have ever have hoped to be able to do this!? She was starting to panic, now, as she saw the shield go through the last firewall and begin to infect the ship. They would crash, and they would die, and it would be all her fau-

"OhmygodIdidit!" She blurted, her eyes incredibly wide as she looked down at her screen. She did it- she hacked the program and made it ignore them as a scheduled flight. Her heart was still pounding in her throat from fear, and a giggyness came to infect her as she stared at the "all clear!" screen.

"You are either a lunatic or a genius." Jari said, continuing their plan by dropping one engine and slowly hobbling sideways out of the bubble of the spaceport called "Habitat for Humanity."

"I am a careful planner, whose plan failed, and who just got a Ben-sized amount of luck thrown her way."

…..

In most circumstances, climbing into a tiny hole would not have been considered smart in Kevin's book. No space to maneuver, or fight, or escape… No, he wasn't claustrophobic! He shook his head as if to clear it. No. Definitely not scared of something as trifling as a small space.

The crying echoed through the small cave.

"Gwen!" He called, shining his flashlight around. To his immense relief, the small hole he had climbed through opened up into a much larger space, enough that he could almost stand up all the way without hitting his head. Good.

"Kevin?" The voice echoed, still dripping with the sound of sobbing.

His flashlight trained on her instantly, and he yelled, "WHAT THE HEL…" he saw the look on her face, the way her knees were drawn up and her face was quivering, and he ended his outburst suddenly gentle, "…heck are you doing out here?"

"I came… because… I could." She managed through her sobs. Kevin crouched down in front of her, frowning.

"Well… we should get you back…"

"NO!" She barked, so angry and so loud that Kevin jumped, falling back on his butt. At least the ground was dry in the small cave. "No, I… I get to choose."

Kevin stared at her. How the hell should he handle this? What would he do if this were really Gwen?

Probably try to be understanding or whatever… he sighed. This was going to be a long night. "Of course you get to choose, but why are you choosing to sit in a cave in the middle of a storm?"

"Because…" She hit her head with the palm of her hand, a movement that was strange and unnerving. "My head hurts… I can't hear onscreen, and I think… I think that's ok. At first, I was like, lonely without it. Now, I realized that I don't have to follow the rules. I don't have to follow the rules, so I get to choose. I feel like, everything is clearer. It's getting clearer and clearer and eventually I'll be able to go anywhere and do anything and I can because… because…" She closed her eyes tight, a hand on either side of her head as she laid her sweat-and-rain-covered forehead against her knees.

She was shaking, and Kevin wished he had a coat or something he could offer her. It wasn't his Gwen… but it was still Gwen, so obviously distraught.

"…because I'm free." She finished, her eyes rising up to meet Kevin's with a look of wonder. "I'm free. Oh, glarb, I don't want to go back there! Surging is nice, and dancing is nice, and parties are nice, and I would miss a lot of people… I'd miss Jari. Why didn't I realize before how much I'd miss Jari?" She pulled her wet locks out of her face, running a hand over her cheeks to wipe at her running line of magenta mascara. "… but I'd much rather be free."

Kevin was taken aback. This girl was nothing like the chatty, hyperactive, ADHD chick that had appeared last night. This girl was… thinking. She was much more articulate, too. What had changed?

"Look, if I know Gwen, she's not just going to take your place in that world and let things be. She's going to fight, and fight smart, to get somewhere safe. And when she trades back with you… maybe you'll be in a better place, you know?"

"Maybe I'll be free?" She whispered, lowering her eyes to the cave floor.

" ." Kevin answered, moving to sit next to her and lean back against the rocky wall. It was still pouring outside, the occasional lighting flashing and illuminating every crack in the cave. He pulled out his phone, texting Ben and Charmcaster. 'Got her. Might be awhile. Meet you back at the car.'

He flipped the phone closed, pocketing it with a sigh. What could he say that would get her to follow him?

…..

A week after their daring escape, Gwen had fallen into a pattern- she was working routinely on breaking through various protection surrounding the Council Corp's private files. It was grueling work- hours of work, only to find another firewall, and another, and another- but at least she could feel like she was _doing_ something.

Currently, they were headed to a port in the Corina Galaxy, looking to refuel and restock the ship with food and water.

Gwen had definitely wanted more information on the plumber's role in Habitat, and as soon as they had become clear of the enemy ships chasing them she was sure to ask.

"The plumbers gave up control to a private company, selling the space port." Jari had said, setting the ship on autopilot towards a home he owned on Tanamin. "They negotiated a contract they thought would benefit the revival of humanity- afterall, there were only about 400 of you left after the Earth was destroyed. Only the plumbers really know what happened, there… it was an embarrassing failure for them, and Habitat was just icing on that embarrassment cake. The moment they sold it off, Council found ways around the contract."

That had bothered Gwen the entire time. What _holes_ in the contract? What, exactly, did the contract selling out the last of humanity say that could have left the Plumbers feeling like humans were in good hands?

So, she had cracked through some security systems and grabbed the original contract from the Plumbers. It was actually kinda scary how easy it was to gain access to private files of the Plumbers, as opposed to the more advanced systems of the Council.

The contract had specified that with the purchase of the space port, which was bought in preparation of making an intergalactic vacation spot, all human residents had to be kept healthy and happy.

Healthy and happy… it was something Gwen heard before. It was legal jargon used by the Plumbers often- "We are dedicated to the pursuit of the idea that all sentient creatures are due access to a life of health and happiness." It was part of the Plumber's code.

From there, Gwen had looked into past legal cases against Habitat.

One had been regarding the use of chips to track humans. This was dismissed, as all humans interviewed said they had accepted onscreen willingly for access to information and entertainment.

Then, once it was discovered humans were being drugged, another lawsuit was filed. It was unsuccessful, however, on the ground that the "calming drugs added to the food supply are necessary to provide a happy and healthy life for all humans."

No one could argue humans were not being kept healthy and happy, so no one could fight a decent legal battle. Plus, Gwen had a feeling a judge or two may have been paid off.

But- and here's a big _but_- under no circumstances could "happy and healthy" be used to excuse the selling of individual humans like slaves. Council Corp could go down for that- hard- if some proof could be presented to the Plumbers.

And then Habitat would be free, and humans could make their own choices.

So, for the past several days, Gwen had been trying to steal the proof they would need. Every new angle she tried to break through their security failed when they discovered what she was up to.

"We need another plan." She said finally, sighing.

Jari handed her a cup of what appeared to be coffee, and she accepted it gratefully. It had been a long week.

"If we could actually find one of the humans sold off, their testimony may be enough to win."

"Maybe. More likely, if we can get whoever _bought_ them to admit to it and finger Council Corp for the sale, we would win." She sighed, rubbing her head. "I'm not an expert at law, but from what I've gathered it would take some seriously damning evidence to take down a corporation as big as Council Corp."

Jari nodded, taking a seat next to hers. "You've done a lot for a world that isn't even yours."

"When the other-me gets back… it's only right that I've done my best to help her out. In fact, it's quite selfish- I'm just helping myself." She laughed, then rubbed at her eyes.

"You should sleep- you can't do much more hacking if you're getting delirious.

"I'm not…" she stood, then wavered as spots danced before her eyes. "Ok, I see your point…" She murmured. "But wake me up in two hours."

"Sure thing." Jari answered, in a way that made Gwen think he was lying.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Gauge

"If you stay out here you're going to get sick." Kevin tried, and the girl seemed to shiver even harder.

"The same goes for you." She answered, her teeth chattering. It was fall, and the rain made the night air freezing cold. Kevin wasn't too comfortable himself, with his favorite long-sleeved shirt sopping wet.

"True. So how about doing us both favors and coming back with me?"

She shook her head. "I don't want to."

"Then what _do_ you want?"

"I want…" She was staring off into space, curling her rain-flattened hair around her finger while she bit her lip thoughtfully. "I don't know what I want. I do know that I like the rain, but I hate the thunder. Does it, like, always sound like that?"

She jumped as another crash rained down, as if punctuating her point. She was scared of thunder? She probably hadn't heard it before…

"Not a problem." Kevin said, pulling his phone back out of his pocket along with a set of earbuds. He was glad, now, he had gone with the waterproof case… He liked to listen to music when working on his car, and sometimes the neighbors would complain if he just set up his old boombox…

He handed them to her, and she smiled. "Thanks." She said, putting them in her ears as Kevin set his music to shuffle. "This music is awful- just glarp, but at least I can't hear the world shouting anymore." She sighed, looking at him. "Sorry I, like, freaked out and stuff. You're right… I'll come back with you… as long as I can eat more food like that 'pizza' we had last night."

"Deal."

…

"I think I have something!" Gwen yelled. It had taken her a few days- they were close to one of Jari's homes, now. He claimed they would be safe there… but Gwen wasn't sure. No human was safe until Council Corp was taken down.

"What? You found a transaction record?"

"No, not quite… but I found come messages exchanged in relation to a deal. They talk about selling a mated pair… I'm thinking it's about humans."

"Huh." Jari said in his gravelly voice, suddenly sounding less than impressed.

"Jari, I have an address. The buyer was from Alpha Paldai- we're not far."

"Well, that's better then." Jari said, grinning. "But first, we stop by my home and pick up a few toys that I think will be useful in… persuading the buyer to help us."

"Deal." Gwen answered.

…..

The "toys" in question included a very well-stocked fighter-vessel. It looked pretty new and high tech, which caused Gwen to raise her eyebrows and give Jari a suspicious glance.

"What? Did I not mention I'm rich? I like to be prepared."

It also included a host of weapons and expensive suits made of some kind of Kevlar-like fabric with a metallic sheen, and protected by an outer shell of thermo-pulse force field. Nice. Very nice.

"Can we hire some guards to help us?"

Jari shook his head. "Not if we're in a hurry- we'd need to track down mercenaries. I don't have a private army just waiting around. Unless you consider this ship an army… and some people might."

Gwen nodded, thinking. "We need to be stealthy…"

"Naturally, this ship had untraceable light-bending and pulser applications… we can be completely invisible on all sensors. State of the art." He sounded immensely proud, and Gwen fought not to roll her eyes. Boys and their vehicles.

It took just two hours to reach Alpha Paldai- Gwen guessed Jadi was breaking several posted speed outputs, and every once in a while he would press "ignore" when the ship gave him notices about it.

Obviously, no matter what form she took in any universe, she had a "type." Jadi was reminding her more and more of Kevin as they traveled together, which helped reassure her that she had made the right decision.

"Warning. Planet security field in range." The ship called in a calm female voice.

"Oops, time to be stealthy!" Jari happily answered, pressing some buttons on his ship. It didn't seem to do much to Gwen, but they didn't receive any more warnings as they approached the planet.

"Ok, Emilio says this is the location on the address you provided." Jari said, landing quietly on the roof of a short, shiny, windowless building.

"Emilio?"

"That's what I named the ship. Pretty intimidating, right?"

"Uh… right."

The two exited the ship, armed to the teeth. Not that Gwen needed weapons… she was itching to use her magic on jerks who would actually _buy_ a human being.

Gwen pulled out one useful tool Jari had given her, heading for a faint line in the bright silver roof the sensors had identified as an entrance. She felt along the groove of the hatch, placing the thin lines of metal she pulled out of her tool along them. With a few buttons, she popped open the hatched entrance with a soft grinding noise, giving them a wide opening to the building.

Gwen and Jari slipped in silently, dropping from the door in the ceiling to the floor of a long, brightly lit hallway. This was someone's _house_? Gwen knew rich eccentric aliens could live in weird places, but she expected a little more grandeur.

Or maybe the buyer didn't ship the humans to his home residence- the address was listed as residential, but this looked more like a lab of some kind, actually. Gwen shivered at the implications.

"We need a map of this place." Gwen whispered.

"We need an informant." Jari answered, ducking into the nearest room with Gwen at his heels. The room was empty. "Damn. Would have looked cool if I had followed that sentence with pounding some security guard or something…"

"Maybe we should head lower- this floor just looks like storage." And so it did. Boxes of various sizes and shapes filled the room. It was still immaculately clean, but somehow it felt as though no one ever came up- like it had been empty for years.

The two walked around until they finally found a clear glass elevator of sorts, suspended in the middle of the building, and reachable by a clear glass bridge. Below the bridge was a long drop into a bright white nothingness. Gwen blinked against the bright light. She had no idea what it was, but she knew an elevator when she saw it. The building must extend much further underground- a sunken skyscraper, if the deep space below the bridge was any indication

"Guy really has a clear-cut sense of style…" Jari muttered, shielding his eyes as he crossed the bridge in front of Gwen.

"Or a clear-cut lack-there-of." Gwen mumbled, pulling out her unlocking tool to use on the elevator.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Jari asked, looking around nervously. "We're very exposed here."

It was true. The area they were in was so open, and they were so blaringly obvious against the shining white of their surroundings. And walking up and using the only elevator in the middle of the building they were sneaking around seemed very obvious.

"Well, we haven't found any stairs, and maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing to get caught, actually… this place is a maze." A list of alien writing along the side of the elevator clearly indicated that there were at least 56 floors underground. Too much for them to sneak around. They needed a guide, even if that meant being caught red-handed.

She lined up the wires along the edge of the doors properly, pushed the right sequence, and popped open the clear double doors.

That's when the alarm went off.

"Took them long enough. Security here sucks." Jari yelled over the alarm, jumping onto the elevator. "Wanna guess a floor?"

Gwen ran her finger over the buttons lightly, thinking. Finally, she touched one that was on the 56th floor down. She guessed that would be the lowest floor, based on the writing on front, which would be where villains usually hid.

_Swoop!_

The elevator dropped so fast Gwen lost her balance, toppling to the floor. Jari helped her up, pulling one of his guns from it's holster as they sped towards the bottom floor of the underground tower.

It seemed to be taking a long time, despite the intense speed. Perhaps there was a lot of space in between floors? It seemed like the bottom of the building was buried as deep as possible, which meant there was definitely something someone wanted to hide. Illegal activities, here they come…

They could see each floor as they went down- the lower they got, the more people they saw milling around the bright hallways around their glass prison, and Gwen wondered if they would be completely surrounded when they reached their destination.

She hated being right.

As the elevator slowed, they could see the wave of hired men standing on all sides of the elevator, weapons raised. They were helpless as the box stopped, doors opening to make them vulnerable to the armed aliens.

Crap.

"Well… shit." Jari said, raising all four arms and dropping his weapon. Gwen mirrored his moves.

"No, this might be good. And at least they aren't shooting us. " She whispered as the leader of the men started yelling.

"You are trespassing on private property! Did you really think Gauge wouldn't have a security force protecting his collection?" He was a long, lanky alien, with a stretching neck and close-set beady eyes.

"See? Now we know his name, and I bet we get to see his collection." Gwen added enthusiastically to Jari, who frowned back at her.

"How?" Jari whispered back uneasily.

"Hey!" Gwen yelled. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm a _human_! That's right, the real deal. It might get you into some trouble if you don't let your master know you've cornered me, or do something stupid like shoot me or my friend."

All thirty or so men froze, unsure of themselves. The leader spoke again, his weapon dropping an inch. "I, uh… take them to a holding cell! Human…hmm… bring them to B block with the others!" he barked, and Gwen let the others take away her weapons and lead her and Jari.

The others? They were about to find the other humans. Hopefully Gwen hadn't bit off more than she could chew. Usually it was Ben who got them out of impossible situations… without him and Kevin, would she be able to play hero and get them out of there?

She was sure going to try. It was better that they underestimate her, leave her alone in a cell… they didn't know she could control Mana, and this "Gauge" would be in for a hell of a surprise.

…

"Just put him in # 33- it's large enough." The leader was telling the soldiers leading them through a set of keylocked doors and into… hell, as far as Gwen was concerned. Hell, was in that room.

It was lined with cages, each about 8 paces wide and barely tall enough for an adult man to stand up.

And most of the cages had two people in them.

Gwen's jaw dropped, walking past people sitting in cages in the clean white room, all in matching gray outfits that looked like cheap jogging suits.

Gwen had been expecting the two humans she had found the record for. She had, maybe, been expecting a few more… she had no way of knowing that there would actually be close to twenty humans locked up in the room, a few of them holding small children.

"What the hell?" Gwen whispered.

Jari frowned. "He must be planning to open his own version of Habitat. Or maybe he's selling the offspring.

Gwen just looked horrified at his statement, staring at him with wide eyes. This was… inexcusable. Gauge didn't deserve any pity, even if he sold out Council Corp. She had to get these people out of here, and send a force of Plumbers to this hell-house as soon as possible.

Who knew what else this freak was involved in? What other sentient beings did he have imprisoned? What kind of person could sell someone else!? Or buy someone else!? It was insane.

But Gwen's horror slowly dissolved into white hot, blinding rage when she caught sight of the contents of one of the cages.

Familiar blazing green eyes looked up, staring defiant daggers at the security guard leader, fists wrapping around bars as if he wished he could tear them off and bludgeon his captors with them.

Ben. Ben was there.

Gwen could barely contain her murderous thoughts long enough to allow herself to be led to a cage. She had a plan. She would get him out, and everything would be fine, but she had to wait until the guards left. She took a deep, calming breath.

Jari was shoved roughly in a cage next to her, and she shot him a burning look. The minute the guards left the room, locking the door behind them, she whispered, "The boy with the green eyes? He's my cousin."

"Oh? I thought Gwen didn't have family?"

"Yeah, well, that was obviously a lie. It's Ben, and we are getting everyone out, and then I'm taking Gauge _down_." As if to emphasize her statement she sent out a whipping stream of Mana, moving her hands to pull it towards each cage at once. She ripped the front gate off of the cages violently, freeing everyone with one pink outburst.

She walked out of her own cage purposefully, and only one other human did the same.

Ben. He stretched his arms over his head, rolling his shoulders, then reached back to help another person out of his cage and over the twisted wreck of the cage door.

Julie.

Gwen was seriously ready to go show Gauge _exactly_ what it means to piss off an Anodite. Shaking off her rage, she ran over to the couple, pulling them both into a hug. "I'm sorry. I know you don't know me, but I know both of you, and I'm so sorry."

"Well… thanks?" Ben said, hugging her back.

Other humans were coming out of their cells, slowly, hesitantly, as if afraid this was all a trick. Jari came forward, ushering everyone out to the middle of the room. "Come on, people! We don't have a lot of time. Gwen, you have a plan?"

"Yeah. You need to get these people to the ship. I'll provide a distraction and corner Gauge."

"Uh, no, I don't think so. How about we switch that around a bit…"

"We don't have time to argue! Trust me- you've only seen a little of my power. I can take care of myself, when it comes down to it, and right now I'm just angry enough I may tear this whole building to the ground, so just do what I say and get these people to the ship!" She was yelling, now, but she couldn't help it. Someone had imprisoned these people for years, and was possibly selling their _babies_!? Or someone was trying to recreate the horror of that human-zoo…that someone was Gauge, and he deserved to be in prison as soon as possible.

The doors opened, suddenly, and it occurred to Gwen that the cage gates may have had some kind of sensor on them. Sure enough, two aliens in security uniforms entered.

They didn't get far.

Gwen threw her energy balls at them, throwing them against the wall and knocking them out cold. Or at least, she assumed they were just unconscious. She was too angry to really care much.

"I'm leaving. Wait five minutes, then head for the elevator." Jari looked like he was going to protest again, and Gwen held up a hand. "Don't. They need you! Just trust me."

He nodded, and Gwen headed for the door.

"You're not going alone." Ben said, reaching to the floor and grabbing one of the fallen guard's weapons. It was a large plasma-gun, fully charged.

Gwen was about to turn him down when she saw the look in his eyes. She was certain that right then the two cousins looked very much alike- each furious and hungry for a bit of revenge.

She smiled. "Alright then; what're we waiting for?"

…

Gwen and Ben made their way down the hallway aimlessly. "We need a conscious guard." Gwen muttered, and Ben nodded in agreement.

It wasn't long before they heard footsteps, and the two ducked into a nearby room in wait.

The room was full of cages, too, these one's filled with odd skittery creatures that resembled many-legged rabbits. Seemingly non-sentient, but Gwen couldn't really tell. None of them were talking, at least.

The two waited for the guard to get closer. Ben reached out, grabbed the alien, and pulled him into the room with them, a hand at his mouth. Gwen bound him in energy, and Ben pointed his gun at the purple tentacled alien's head.

"Where is Gauge?" Ben growled.

"I don't know…"

"Ok, let me be clear- I have been drugged, chipped, and eventually sold to a man who kept me and my wife in a cage for two years! If you think I won't shoot you and find the next guard to question, you are very much mistaken. I am way past the point of no return here-there is nothing I won't do to reach Gauge. Now, one more time: _Where.__Is.__He_!?" Ben growled, and even Gwen was surprised at the venom in his voice. Her heart ached to see her cousin like this… what a horrible life. She had to save them all. She had to.

Apparently the guard was just as concerned at the tone of Ben's voice, because he changed his tune quickly. "Uh, of course, at the first sign of trouble Mr. Gauge goes to his panic room. It's actually pretty close…"

"Good, because you're going to take us there."

"I will! Sure! But, uh… I won't be able to get it open…"

"Let that be _our_ problem." Gwen said. "_You_ just take us there."

…

The entire way to the panic room, Gwen and Ben made a point of taking out all cameras they saw and causing as much destruction as possible, knocking down doors left and right. That would, hopefully, bring the attention straight to them and give the escaping humans and Jari some time.

The door to the panic room, when they reached it, was obviously very solid and very locked. Gwen pulled out her unlocking tool, attaching the wires. She punched in some codes, and knew it was no good. This door wouldn't be fooled by cheap tricks- it could only be opened from the inside.

They dropped their captured guard to the floor, Gwen's Mana still enveloping him.

"Stand back." Gwen said, and Ben did as he was told, watching her curiously.

She balled up as much condensed Mana as she could muster and hurtled it at the door.

Nothing.

She did it again.

Was that a dent, she spied?

Again.

Again.

Again.

Finally, taking out all her frustrations on the door, she pushed at it with all her available Mana, her eyes glowing pink. With a strange sucking noise the door imploded, crumpling inwards on itself like it was made of tin.

Gwen, feeling extremely weakened but trying not to show it, stepped over the lump of metal and into the room, Ben at her heels. Her mind reeled, and moving made her feel a little woozy, but she was determined to stand tall.

"Nice." He muttered as he passed the wreckage, impressed.

In the room cowered a very tiny grey creature.

"A…. Galvin?" Gwen asked, flummoxed. "I would have expected a Galvin to devise a better security system. In fact, I would expect a Galvin to engage in more intellectual pursuits than selling rare species illegally."

"Oh, there were experiments." Ben whispered, his hot angry gaze blazing into the Galvin.

Gwen shivered. Of course, she knew exactly how terrible a Galvin gone wrong could be, such as Albedo, but still…

"Leave me alone! It's a captive breeding program! I did nothing wrong- I'm just trying to protect an endangered species!" The quivering alien said from his perch in an oversized chair.

"We have records of transactions. I dare say you've been making money off of these people, and their testament will be enough to prove their abuse… Selling and buying sentient beings is illegal, in case you didn't know." Gwen added matter-of-factly.

"Proof? For what? Let's just kill him right here." Ben said, grinding his teeth and training his gun on the alien's head.

Gwen, startled, put a hand on Ben's gun. "Easy Ben. We _need _him to free Habitat. Trust me." She gave him a pleading look, and he lowered his weapon marginally, nodding his assent.

"Ok then. He'll live… for now."

…..

The two made it to the roof, using Gauge as a hostage against any security they happened to pass. To Gwen's immense relief, Jari was waiting for them impatiently, his ship fired up and full of people.

"Hurry up! My cloaking devices will work on the ship, but if they know we're on the roof they can still choose to fire blindly!"

"Who are _they_?" Gwen asked, running up. She pointed at the Galvin tightly bound and held in Ben's arms, and grinned. The guards were hired muscle- they wouldn't act with their employer held hostage.

"Well I'll be… you did it!"

"Yeah, and if he knows what's good for him he'll confess everything to the plumbers and explain Council Corps involvement." Gwen frowned at the Galvin as Jari fired up the ship. "It may lessen your sentence. Afterall, we have about twenty witnesses and victims of your crimes onboard."

Ben found Julie in the crowded ship, and he held her tightly as they took off.

Gwen smiled. Everything would be alright…

And that's when the much-anticipated pink glow appeared before her eyes.


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: I didn't upload an extra chapter yesterday…. But I think you'll forgive me after reading this chapter. . enjoy!**

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Reunited Again

She was home. Kinda.

She lifted her head, taking in her strange surroundings. Maybe not home… but certainly where she belonged. She saw Kevin sitting next to her, and instantly relaxed.

She was overwhelmed with emotion- after everything she had been through in the other world, she never realized just how much having him near her really meant until this moment. When he was gone to Anodyne, it had been painful. But being away for weeks, in a world where he probably didn't even exist, was overwhelmingly lonely. She didn't realize just how lonely she had really been until she was home, sitting next to the boy she loved… in a, uh, cave?

Were they in a cave?

_Why_ were they in a cave?

"Kevin." She murmured, touching his arm and leaning towards him, suddenly wanting to be kissed, to be held…

"Whoa, uh, like I said, I have a girlfriend…" Kevin said, hands in the air.

Gwen frowned, raising an eyebrow. "Another one?" She joked, and his eyes went wide.

"Gwen? Gwen! You're back!" He wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace, pulling her to him.

"Why, exactly, were you in a cave with my other self?" She said, her voice muffled by her face being pressed against Kevin's shoulder.

"She ran away. Long story. I think she was crazy."

"Just drugged." Gwen sighed. She hoped her other self would be happy. She had family and Jari waiting for her, afterall… and the freedom of the human race in her future.

Gwen pulled back slightly, her thin pajama top sticking lightly to Kevin's shirt. "Why are we all wet?"

As if in answer to her question, a great flash and peel of thunder rolled outside the cave entrance, making Gwen jump.

"Oh." She said. She was cold. Her silky clothing was soaked through and clingy, and she was about to wrap her arms around herself and complain when she noticed Kevin's eyes. They were most certainly not trained on her face- they were several inches too low for that. Gwen could almost feel his eyes sliding over her… and she liked it. She could feel herself warming up already, and a shiver that had nothing to do with the cold ran up her spine.

She reached out, almost unbidded, and ran her hands over Kevin's wet shoulders. His black hair was clinging to his face in small chunks, making him look disheveled and wild. "I missed you." She whispered, kissing him lightly, softly, his lips feeling so right against her own. "I missed you so much…"

He closed the gap her talking caused, capturing her lips for a deeper kiss as his hands curled around the back of her head and the small of her back. She pushed back, her own hands peeling up the back of Kevin's shirt hurriedly, suddenly feeling the need to set a frantic pace- to feel his warm skin pressed to hers. To feel that he was _there._ She ran her tongue through his mouth, tasting him.

He smelled so good. He smelled like motor oil and rain and pine needles and something distinctly _Kevin_. He smelled like home.

She finally pulled his shirt high enough that he had no choice but to get the hint, peeling away the wet fabric the rest of the way on his own, causing a brief gap in their kissing before Gwen was able to capture his lips again. His body was soft and hard at the same time, and Gwen ran her hands greedily over his toned chest.

She let out a sound rather like a squeak as Kevin swiftly flipped her around to the ground. It was a quick and almost forceful motion, but he was careful that his hand cushioned her head against the rough rock. He kissed down her neck, his heated kisses causing her breath to catch in her throat and her eyes to flutter closed.

"Ow." She said, suddenly, shifting uncomfortably.

"What?" Kevin asked, not bothering to stop kissing along her collarbone.

"There's a rock jamming into my back." Gwen complained, scooting over. Kevin sat up, frowning.

Then, suddenly, he broke into a grin. "Well, we'll just have to make you a cushion." He grabbed his wadded up shirt, laying it out beneath her. "How's that?"

Gwen grinned, catching on. "I think we need more clothes." She pulled herself into an upright sitting position, Kevin still straddling her.

She grabbed the bottom of her shirt and paused, biting her lip. She was a little nervous… He hadn't actually seen her completely naked before. She met his eyes, and saw the dark ravenous look in their depths. But underneath his rapidly growing need there was a softness- patience. If she wasn't ready, he could wait. But she didn't want to wait. She wanted him now. She never wanted to feel like she was apart from him again, and she wanted to be closer to him now more than ever before. She pulled off the slippery fabric of her shirt, shivering as the cold night air hit her bare skin.

She moved lower, pulling at the waistband of her pajama bottoms while maintaining eye contact with Kevin.

"Not quite enough." Gwen said quietly as Kevin drank in the sight of her. His eyes poured over her skin, his fingers dancing so lightly down her side it almost tickled. Her nerves vanished as he looked at her. His eyebrows were drawn in concentration, his mouth slightly open in awe.

He didn't make her nervous- he made her feel beautiful.

He lowered them both back down, one hand on her back, and returned to the spot where he had been kissing her collarbone. He breathed hotly onto her skin, his mouth working its way lower as his hand did the same, playing lightly over her breast, her cold erect nipple tingled as his rough fingers swept over. Not neglecting her other breast, he flicked out his tongue, licking the sensitive nub and making her gasp. Encouraged by her sound of sudden pleasure, he continued, licking and nipping lightly at each small perky mound.

"Hey." She tapped his shoulder, making him look up. She was breathing hard, now, anticipation making her dizzy. "I still feel that rock…"

Kevin stared, wide-eyed. "Oh." He said, his lips curling into a smirk. "I see." He leaned back, unbuckling and pulling off his belt and setting it aside. He unzipped his pants and removed them, adding the last of their clothes to their little nest under Gwen. "Better?" He asked.

Gwen's breath hitched. In the darkness of their tumble in the car, she hadn't actually seen _it_. She knew what a penis looked like- she had taken health classes of course. But this was Kevin, and this was a very different concept than a health diagram. He was large, and he was definitely ready. She reached down, touching him again, and he drew in breath so fast it was a hiss.

"I wouldn't do that…" he managed, dropping back down so he was hovering over her. "Not if you want this to last very long…"

She could feel the heat come to her face as she thought through his meaning, moving her hands to his back instead.

"Shit!" He exclaimed, and her eyes opened wide.

"What?"

"I didn't… well, I forgot about the little problem we had last time… I didn't bring anything."

"Oh. It's fine- it doesn't matter."

"Uh…" Kevin looked torn, partway between agreeing and partway between grabbing his clothes.

"Oh, I don't mean that it's ok as in, I don't care what the consequences are. Uh, that is, I just meant that I took care of it."

"Oh?...oh!" Kevin exclaimed, a grin returning to his face. "Really?"

"Yes, really." Gwen answered, thinking back to her mom, true to her word, taking her to their doctor to get birth control. She had been so embarrassed… but she was glad of it, now. She wasn't sure she would have been able to stop, this time. She flung her arms around Kevin's neck, drawing him close, back to her lips, and he happily obeyed.

She could feel him against her thigh, and as they kissed their breathing sped up again, both panting as he rubbed against her. She could feel herself shaking slightly, and she tried to stop it. She was cold… buts she was also a little nervous. She wanted him so bad… but this was still her first time. Would it hurt? She had read somewhere that it would hurt.

She moved her legs to either side of him, moaning against his mouth as she felt him at her entrance, rubbing lightly against her wet folds.

"Ready?" he asked, putting his mouth against her ear as he whispered. She nodded. Oh, yes, she was ready.

He positioned himself, and slowly began to enter her, sliding in with a slight pinching pressure. Gwen gasped, feeling as though she were being filled up as Kevin pushed forward a little at a time, moving slowly so he wouldn't hurt her. It seemed like such a huge thing to fit in such a small space, but her body adjusted to the stretching pressure, the feeling both strange and pleasant.

All at once he moved forward quickly, breaking through her barrier and causing her to cry out in pain.

His face seemed to scrunch up, his eyes closed, as he concentrated on not moving. Their breathing was almost synced up, both lying completely still on the clothing-padded floor of the cave. The low light of Kevin's flashlight was starting to blink, and any minute the battery would probably go out.

Gwen moved, experimentally, wiggling her hip a little as the pressure inside her began to feel good. Really good. She was done lying still- the pain was gone, and what was left over was a building need for _movement_.

Kevin got the hint, moving back and then thrusting back in, the friction causing Gwen to moan loudly, her hands grabbing Kevin's shoulders, feeling the muscles of his upper back move as he did, in and out, faster.

And faster.

She moved against him, her hips crashing up to meet his thrusts as she caught onto his rhythm. With each forward motion she cried out, sounds flying from her lips unbidden. Her moans echoed in the cave, drowned out only by the crash of thunder.

She could feel something building deep inside her, growing each time Kevin buried himself inside. "More." She said, surprising herself at how vocal she was being. She ran her hands down his arms, feeling his muscles bulging as he worked back and forth, one arm on either side of her head. He moved faster, pounding inside her and gasping with each turn.

Gwen couldn't stand it- something was coming, something that she needed right away. She needed him to keep going, to go faster, to keep pressing on something that had never been pressed before at her core. She pulled herself to him, wrapping her legs up around his waist to make him go deeper, moving at a faster pace herself. She could feel a thin sheen of sweat covering her forehead with the effort, but she couldn't feel tired. She needed more.

And then, suddenly, something clicked inside and a wave of pleasure washed over her, every nerve tingling with that same incredible pressure unleashing inside her.

"_Ah!"_ She cried, clinging to Kevin. She could feel her eyes flash pink, but this time it had nothing to do with her out-of-control skipping and everything to do with her natural Mana reacting to her over-emotional state. The wonderful explosion of ecstasy seemed to pulsate through her whole body, her back arching up against Kevin.

Kevin thrusted forward a couple more times, then finally lost control, burying himself deep as his face contorted into a look that was almost pain, and he cried out her name.

He buried his face into her hair at the base of her neck, breathing hard and holding her tight against him. They stayed like that for awhile, waiting as their breathing slowed.

"I love you." Kevin murmured against her ear, nudging her neck lightly with his cheek.

"I love you too." She whispered back, her eyes drifting closed contentedly.

…

He groaned, rolling off her and running a hand through his messy, slightly damp hair. Gwen turned on her side, pressing against him with her head on his chest.

"Well." She said.

"Well." He agreed, shaking his head.

There couldn't possibly be anything better than that in life. Sex with the girl he loved had been better than he could have possibly expected, and he could still hear her moans in his mind, still see her face as she came, her pleasure plain on her face even before her eyes began glowing with Mana.

Seeing her like that was almost better than his own release moment later.

"You," He said, grinning, "are _very loud_."

Gwen's mouth fell open, and she placed a hand on her chest, looking affronted. "I'm _what!_?"

He laughed, lightly. "Just saying. Loud."

"I am _not_… I don't know what you… _shut up_!" She managed, her face turning a very cute shade of pink. He grabbed her before she could turn away, kissing her to stop the coming tirade.

She laughed against his lips, her smile breaking out despite her protests. "Ok, fine." She murmured. "Maybe I am. I can't help it. Next time I'll try to be quieter."

Next time. Kevin couldn't stop the giddy feeling at her words, and his grin was stupidly large. "Don't." He muttered, kissing her again.

Bzzzt. Bzzzt.

His phone was going off in his pants pocket. He fished around through their pile of clothes and pulled it out.

He had a text from Ben, and it read, "_Hey, asshole! Get her back to the car! WTF!?"_

Before he could even respond, another text, "_That was_ _Charm, she stole my phone- nvmd_."

Then, "_Actually, yeah, I agree! Hurry up_!"

He groaned, looking through his text history to see a long stream of messages.

"_Where r u?" _

"_We changed the tire- just waiting on you." _

"_Did something happen? Should we find u?" _

"_Charm and I are gonna kill each other if you don't hurry it up_."

"Uh, I'm thinking we should get going…" Kevin muttered, and Gwen was already pulling her clothes back on, whatever good that did. He had dutifully ignored the thin fabric on the other-Gwen, but now he couldn't help but notice how the wet silk clung to her every curve… Hmm…

He grabbed his long-sleeved grey undershirt off the floor and pulled it over her, ignoring her protests. "It's cold, and you're halfway to naked." He said, putting on his black T-shirt.

"Thanks." She answered. "You could have told me they were waiting on us."

"I _could_ have." Kevin answered, putting an arm around her as they left the small cave, Gwen casting a shield to protect them from further rain. "But that wouldn't have been half as fun."

…..

"We were just about to start hunting you down." Charmcaster yelled, standing outside Ben's car with her shield up against the rain. "My boots are coated in mud! These are Gucci, you bitches!"

"Then why aren't you waiting in the car?" Gwen asked when she got in range, trying not to laugh at Charmcaster's fit.

"Because then I'm stuck with him!" She pointed to Ben, who was obviously laughing behind the window of his car. Gwen was glad to see the two of them had had some _quality time_ to get to know each other. "Hey!" Charmcaster said suddenly. "You're you again!"

"Yep."

"And you're not even mortally wounded!"

"Not this time."

"Hurray." Ben said, popping out of the driver's side door of his car. "We were getting pretty sick of gill-Gwen. Especially given the whole 'running-away' thing."

Charmcaster shot him a glare. "I am not riding with him back to the house." She declared, and Ben rolled his eyes.

"Thank god."

"Oh, what happened? Why the extra hate?" Gwen asked, hands on her hips as she walked with Charmcaster to Kevin's car.

"I was standing around, waiting to see if you would come back, by two cars in the god-damned rain by a god-damn forest when jack-ass over there decides it would be funny to pop out of the woods as humungusaur like something out of Jurassic Park."

Gwen laughed.

"It's not funny! I almost peed myself!" Charmcaster stomped, annoyed. "Oh, fuck you too."

….

Gwen angled her head up, letting the warm water run over her face and smooth down her long red hair. The steamy heat of the shower felt good on her skin- it had been a cold night. Well, parts of it were cold.

She signed happily, dwelling on the memories of her very special homecoming as she rinsed out her conditioner. She hummed a little nonsensical tune as she cleaned herself, taking much longer than necessary under the water.

When she finally finished and walked to her room, towel wrapped snugly around her, she was almost singing. She couldn't remember the name of the song, and the same line of the chorus kept running through her mind.

She went straight to her dresser, rummaging through her things to find something to wear for the day.

"Well, someone's happy."

She almost jumped out of her skin, whirling around to find Charmcaster lounging nonchalantly on her bed, flipping through a magazine.

She didn't know why it surprised her- Charmcaster seemed to love busting into her room.

"I'm home. Of course I'm happy. Yet another long skip behind me."

"Mmmmhmmm…." Charmcaster muttered, opening up a perfume sample page in the magazine and making a face at the scent. "Your grandfather was supposed to be talking to the plumbers yesterday, remember? I wonder how that went…"

"Yesterday?" Oh, god, had it only been yesterday for everyone else? For her, this trip had been… two weeks? At _least_ that. It had completely slipped her mind that Grandpa Max was meeting with the plumbers, and potentially had information regarding their strange situation. "I guess we should expect to meet up with everyone later then." That would certainly change her clothing choices for the day. If she was going to see Kevin today, she wanted to wear something nice. She grinned, digging through her practical collared shirts for something a little different.

"Wear the green sweater." Charmcaster said, not even lifting her eyes from the magazine.

"How do you know what's in my dresser… are you wearing _my_ jeans!?"

"I only brought so much with me when I came to you- my magic bag doesn't hold my whole wardrobe, you know. Kinda hoped we'd have nipped this problem in the bud before now."

"So, you're stealing my clothing now."

"Yes." She dropped the magazine. "And what luck! We're the same size! Well, except for your tops. Kinda a little tight on me…"

"Oh, shut up. Even you can't ruin my mood today."

"So I've noticed." The girl said, raising her eyebrows. She flipped the magazine closed, laying sideways on the bed with one arm balancing her head up. "So, spill."

"Spill?"

"The details? Oh come on- I don't get to do the _girl talk_ thing very often, and you don't sing your way out of the shower very often. So I'm going to go ahead and guess that you two were late to the car for a reason…"

Gwen blushed profusely, turning back to her dresser to try and hide her face. How did Charmcaster _do_ that!? She really was way too observant.

"That's what I thought. So…"

"Gwen!" Her mom called from downstairs, interrupting the conversation and making Gwen jump. "You have a guest!"

She decided on the green sweater, pulling it on and bounding down the stairs towards the front door.

…..

"Glad your mom let you off the hook…" Julie said, sucking down her slushy fast.

"I think she likes you." Gwen said happily. "Plus a girl's-day-out isn't exactly my usual routine. I think my mom worries that I don't have enough girl-friends."

Julie laughed, and Charmcaster just snorted derisively.

"Well," the latter girl began, "at least you're good at keeping your girl-enemies closer."

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Very cute- like you're really my enemy anymore. There's only so often you can stop another person from bleeding to death before they become your friend."

Gwen could have sworn she saw some part of Charmcaster's face twitch, but she didn't refute Gwen's claim to friendship. The girls were, in some weird twisted way, brought closer by their ordeal.

"I'm glad you two are getting along. Really. I can't imagine how hard this has been on you… Ben generally keeps me out of the loop. Doesn't think I can take care of myself or something if there's an emergency. It seems like the only time I hang out with you guys lately is when you need Ship…" She frowned, sucking on her drink. A moment later her face scrunched up, a hand coming to her forehead. "Ouch. Brainfreeze."

"Ben." Charmcaster snorted, shuffling her slushy around with her straw. "What a… well, I suppose this is one of those times when I should keep my opinion to myself…"

"No, you can say it." Julie muttered, crossing her arms. "He can be a jerk."

Charmcaster grinned, nudging Gwen. "I think I like her."

"Julie," Gwen said, ignoring Charmcaster, "You have Ship. You're not helpless. But you're busy with your tennis all the time. Maybe Ben's just trying to be sensitive to that…"

Julie raised her eyebrows, frowning.

"… yeah, you're right. Ben and sensitive don't really go together." Gwen finished, sighing. "Maybe you should go talk to him if you're mad at him."

"I'm not mad, really… just annoyed, I guess. He doesn't involve me in his life, and he doesn't bother to tell me when he changes his plans…"

"Hmm. The two of them _had_ planned on having the house to themselves yesterday." Charmcaster said knowingly.

"Wha… how did you…" Julie sputtered, face turning red.

She shrugged. "I'm just good at seeing the big picture. If it's any consolation, he and everyone else had to deal with a very disturbing version of Gwen last night. With gills. Who invited me over for a threesome."

"Oh lord." Gwen muttered, head hitting the table.

"Yeah, there was some groping involved. It was terrifying. Safe to say Ben made a good call on that one, Julie."

The dark-haired girl sighed.

"Look, we have a meeting with my Grandpa Max later. How about if we all hit the mall beforehand, and then you can come with us."

"Absolutely." Charmcaster added, nodding. "And Ben will be there, so feel free to chew him out in front of everyone. I would even back you up." She smiled innocently.

Julie smiled at the former-villain. "Sounds good."


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter Thirty: Being Dead Temporarily

They got their nails done. Gwen couldn't remember _ever_ getting her nails done in her life- she usually considered a quick no-nonsense clear coat as "dressy," and was surprised by how fun the experience was.

"Oh, tennis is gonna chip these down to nothing, but I'm totally getting the airbrush dragon!" Julie exclaimed, looking at the case of options while her basecoat dried.

"Hmm…" Charmcaster hummed, looking down at the bright designs with disdain. "Think I'll just go with my usual color scheme- purple, and make it dark."

Gwen smiled, watching as the salon lady stenciled her own nails with a swirly red and yellow flower design… She couldn't stop staring at them- she wished she could do artistic stuff like this. She wished she had time to do girly stuff like this sometimes, too. Between her now-on-hold karate lessons, her online classes, closing rips, and skipping into various other worlds, looking pretty just hadn't been on her radar.

Afterwards, they did –_gasp-_ more normal girl stuff. They went shopping.

"Oh! Isn't it _beautiful_…?" Charmcaster cooed, B-lining for a dark shop with loud music displaying mostly black clothes. In the front window was an outfit with tight pleather pants, combat boots, and a buckled corset top.

Gwen started to laugh, hard, and couldn't seem to make herself stop.

"What?" Charmcaster asked, frowning. "I do need new clothes, afterall, and everything you own is so goody-goody Sunday school uniform it's sick."

"No, I wasn't laughing at your style…" She smirked, crossing her arms. "This is just the exact same...giggle…. outfit… snort… girl-Kevin from that other world wore."

The look on Charmcaster's face was priceless, and even Julie joined in as Gwen broke down in another fit of giggles.

Charmcaster frowned.

….

"Ok, I called her forty-five minutes ago… where the heck is she?" Ben complained, lounging on the couch in his living room with his feet up.

"Give your cousin a break Ben- she's been through quite an ordeal." Max said. "And get your shoes off the couch. Just because your parents aren't home doesn't mean they want you ruining the furniture."

Ben sighed, complying and sitting upright.

"Can't you tell us what this is about?" Kevin asked, taking a seat on the couch now that there was room.

"The information I have should be heard by the girls first- it pertains to them, afterall." Max answered, his small frown hinting at bad news.

"No luck?" Kevin wondered.

"No, we found an answer… it just isn't good."

Kevin wondered at his words, but kept his dark thoughts to himself. He didn't want to see Gwen hurt again, and he still didn't have the details of her last skip. All he knew was that she had been gone a lot longer than it had felt to any of them left behind, and that she had been trapped in a place that was like a human-zoo…. With Morningstar as her husband. He knew she could take care of herself, but he had the strange urge to find and throttle their own world's Morningstar for any imagined offense.

The whole ordeal couldn't have been pleasant for her, but she didn't seem particularly upset, so he could only assume she had been ok.

Still, another skip was something to be avoided if possible, and now their last real hope, an intergalactic peacekeeping organization loaded with files and files of knowledge, was going to let them down.

Kevin grit his teeth.

There was a light knock on the door, and Ben popped out of his seat and ran over, letting in Gwen and their other two occasional teammates.

"I wasn't expecting you." Ben said, hanging behind by the door to talk to Julie.

"I know, but I wanted to be here."

"She's staying." Charmcaster declared from the living room. "Even's the odds, having another sane female in the room."

"Sane? You define yourself as sane?" Ben retorted.

"Saner than you if you're gonna try and turn your pissed girlfriend away at the door."

Ben's eyes went wide, turning back to Julie. She flashed him a challenging grin, and he sighed. "Of course you can stay. I want you to stay. I just don't want you getting involved if it get's dangerous…"

"Your meeting? Pretty sure I'm safe." Julie said, brushing past him.

"As long as the girl's stay themselves, sure." Kevin added, his lips curling up into a sideways smile as Gwen took a seat next to him on the couch.

"Grandpa, what do you have for us?" Gwen asked, Charmcaster plopping down roughly next to her in what _had_ been Ben's seat.

Julie sat in the last open chair in the room, pointedly not looking at Ben.

Grumbling, Ben stood, leaning against a wall.

Max sighed, rubbing at his eyes and leaning back in his chair. "Well, kids, it isn't good I'm afraid. The plumbers have a lot on their plate, but tears in the universe certainly caught some attention. A few outlaws, apparently, have been using these tears to run to other dimensions. Then there are the tears in the null void…"

"They can escape!?" Ben said, ending his grumbling and turning all-business. "We should get canons in there to close the gaps…"

"Plumbers are on it- they've been closing far more tears than we have. In any case, the problem with our girl's skipping has taken a back burner in the chaos. They were concerned, of course, when I mentioned how evil-Gwen could have wreaked havoc…"

"Tell me about it." Gwen muttered. "Her world was not pleasant. I'd hate to see what she'd do with this one."

Max nodded. "Yes, but the plumbers can't get involved when just one or two people are at risk- their job is to protect the universe at large. A few friends of mine did their research, though, and tried to come up with a solution."

Max was silent for just a moment longer than was comfortable, and Charmcaster waved a hand in a circle impatiently, indicating he should continue.

He sighed. "They only had one solution in mind- the only way to stop your skips until the end of this year-long phenomenon is to cut off your access to your Mana."

Charmcaster dropped a fist on the coffee table, a resounding boom making everyone jump. "No way. It's not possible, and if it was, no way. Cutting off access to our Mana… that's like cutting off access to air. It's all around us, it's inside of us, and it's part of us!"

"I understand, believe me. But we're not talking about taking your Mana away- that would be impossible."

"We all have some of it in us." Gwen muttered, grabbing Kevin's hand next to her. He threaded his fingers through hers, the tender gesture making her feel calm.

"Exactly. It's tied to our life-energy. It can't be separated." Max continued. "No, what we're talking about is making it so you can't access that power… which can only be done if you're both put in full stasis."

Kevin's hand tightened in her own. "Now, listen." Kevin growled. "I know you've tried your best, but that's obviously not an option…"

"What does that even mean?" Charmcaster asked, throwing Gwen a confused look. "Stasis? As in, kept the same?"

"It's what people do sometimes for especially long journeys in space." Kevin said "It's a process that essentially freezes you as you are- you don't age, you don't eat, you don't even really sleep. One minute you're awake, then you blink and you're suddenly being woken up somewhere else."

"You sound like you've had some experience…" Ben started, curious.

Kevin's brow furrowed. "How do you think the plumbers safely move their most dangerous prisoners? If necessary, they freeze em'."

"It's not literally freezing. Nothing so primitive as that…" Max said, his hands raised in a placatory gesture.

"It still sucks." Kevin said, letting go of Gwen's hand and instead wrapping an arm around her.

"Well, then that's out." Charmcaster said, folding her arms in front of her.

"No, it's not." Gwen said, leaning into Kevin and the weight of his arm around her. "I don't want to switch and have people I care about get hurt. And I don't want to go to another world and get _myself_ hurt again."

"But… it just sounds wrong!" Charmcaster said, giving Gwen a bewildered look. "To lose control of your life for months… what if something happens? And more than that, you're asking me to _trust_ all of you with my body while I'm completely out for all that time! How do I know I don't wake up in this 'Null Void,' huh?"

Gwen sighed, looking over at the other girl. "The risks are worth the gain, Charmcaster. Do you really want to end up bleeding to death again? There's a reason you came to me: This was it. This is our solution. We have no choice."

Kevin tightened his arm around her shoulder, feeling his thin control slipping. He could not believe this was going to happen, that they were all going along with it. "There has to be another way! You can't just _shut people off_ whenever there's a problem!"

"I know you may have personal feelings about this, Kevin." Max said soothingly. His calm demeanor was just serving to piss Kevin off, though. "But think about what's best for Gwen."

Now Kevin was extremely conflicted. On the one hand, he had hated it the one time he had been transported that way, as a kid. It wasn't something done often- only in the most extreme cases. Freezing someone walked a very fine line of infringing on someone's intrinsic right to existing, and it was something even the plumbers were a little uncomfortable with. Prison or the Null Void were a different story- keeping criminals contained, away from the populace, made sense. But they were still _living_.

Being in stasis was like being dead. Temporarily.

It was, frankly, creepy.

On the other hand… it was better than Gwen being dead _permanently_.

And on a third unprecedented hand, it wasn't even his choice. It was Gwen's. And Charmcaster's.

He sighed, admitting defeat.

"You want to do this?" He asked Gwen, looking down at the bright orange top of her head. She moved her head back, looking up to meet his eyes.

"'Want' is a strong word. I _need_ to do this."

Charmcaster sighed a long, frustrated sigh. "Fine. Whatever. I'm in too I guess."

"Alright." Max said, standing. "There'll be a plumber ship coming to pick up the girls tomorrow at seven pm to bring them to the academy. That's the safest place they can be stored, and I'll be going with them while you kids close a few more rips…"

"Like hell." Kevin blurted, and Max gave him a displeased look. "Uh, I mean, sir… no way am I not going with."

"Or me." Ben added.

Max gave each of the boys a long look. "Well, I don't see how they could say no to the famous Ben Tennyson…" Ben beamed, looking smug, "So I'll see what I can do. Just be ready to go tomorrow."

"I'll pack light." Charmcaster said sarcastically, rubbing at her temple with one hand.

….

Kevin drove them home, and given the emotion in the room when they all left, Gwen was happy to see that her grandpa didn't admonish him for not having a license. Charmcaster sat in the back, arms crossed, eyes closed and face pinched. She was obviously unhappy with the whole scenario… but then who wasn't?

Gwen was glad that she wouldn't be skipping again, at least. And, though it was pretty selfish of her, she had to admit she was glad it would only seem like moments before she could open her eyes and see Kevin again. For everyone else… it would be months.

Kevin had a look on his face that was very similar to Charmcaster's, his eyebrows drawn in as he stared at the road. The three of them rode in silence.

Kevin pulled up to her house, parking on the street. His dark angry eyes looked from the road to her, staring at her silently.

"Ok, I'm just gonna give you two your moment." Charmcaster said, rolling her eyes. "Let me out of this car." She muttered, escaping out the door and walking up to the house.

Gwen watched her, then turned her green eyes back to meet Kevin's. So dark brown, they were almost black. They seemed to suck her in, drowning her… how could she leave him for that long? She knew she was hurting him with this, but they had no choice. She couldn't accept the risk if she stayed.

She leaned forward, kissing him softly, her hands pressed to his chest as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back. "I'm sorry…" She whispered.

"Shh. Don't be stupid- you don't have anything to apologize for."

She decided she'd let the "stupid" part go. He meant well.

"I… I'll miss you."

"No, you won't. It'll be over in a moment for you." He kissed her again, one hand touching her cheek. She leaned into it, relishing his warmth. "It'll feel like forever for me, but I'll be right there when you wake up."

"You promise?"

"Of course."

She laid her head against his chest, ignoring the parking brake that was jutting into her hip from her strange angle in the car. "Come to my window tonight."

Kevin laughed, lightly, unsure. "You're kidding."

"No, I'm serious- I want you to visit me tonight. In two hours."

"But… I don't know about you, but I'd rather not face your parent's wrath…"

"I'll just accept my grounding if we're caught, then. Let's say, ten months?" She smiled, her point obvious: she was going to be frozen for months. What could her parents possibly do to her? "Please. I… I need you right now." She whispered.

She could feel the fear of her upcoming stasis running through her mind, through her veins. She couldn't handle the sad look in Kevin's eyes, as if she were abandoning him. She wanted to be close to him tonight, to give them both something to remember until she opened her eyes again months later… She wanted to comfort him, and to be comforted.

"Ok." Kevin said, kissing her one more time before Gwen got out of the car. "Enough said."


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: Lemon #3! . If you like it, please review! If you don't…. please review! XD**

Chapter Thirty-One: Secret Meetings

Charmcaster was reading the same magazine as before while Gwen dug out her nightgown, getting ready for bed. She brushed out her hair carefully, checking herself out in the mirror. It was an above-the knee slinky pink nightgown, and the fabric felt nice brushing against her skin. She thought she looked pretty good… but was she sexy?

She brought up her hands, pulling the waist of the gown tight around her middle and turning to the side.

"Oh, _god,_ he's coming up here isn't he?"

"How do you _do_ that!?" Gwen yelled, wondering if there was a spell for mindreading she wasn't aware of.

Charmcaster rolled her eyes. "Please. Not that I blame you- gotta leave the boy with something, huh? Can't have him straying while you're away."

"That's not even a little bit-"

"Well, how about if you accept some advice from a girl with some experience sneaking around with boys." She interrupted.

"You sneaked?" Gwen asked, finding the idea rather funny.

"I wasn't exactly running the streets alone as a kid, now was I? My uncle raised me, and he was every bit as persistent in protecting me from vile _boys_ as any parent."

Gwen found that image even funnier, but with great effort managed to hold back any comments.

Charmcaster pulled a dusty old book from the shelf the girls had been sharing, flipping through it. "Ok, use this one. If anyone opens the door, they see an empty room." She winked. "It also has the useful application of blocking sound. It's intended for secret meetings… but it could be used for "_secret meetings_" too, if you get my drift."

Gwen looked down at the book, feeling awkward. "Uh, thanks." She managed. Magic sex advice from her former enemy. Fantastic.

This time Kevin didn't have to knock. Gwen saw him coming up to the window from the low overhang roof of the back porch.

"Well, that's my cue to leave." Charmcaster said, walking towards the door as Kevin stepped in through the window, shutting the door behind her with a wink.

"Uh, she saw me. Is that a problem?"

"She won't tell. In fact, she gave me a spell…"

"Wait a minute, you're telling me she knows, uh, details? About us?"

Gwen smirked. "She is unreasonably good at guessing details. Why? Worried that I go gossiping to Charmcaster?"

"Maybe. Not like I kiss and tell." He grinned as she moved closer into his arms.

"Who would you tell? My cousin?"

"Hey, I have _friends_… who are criminals… ok, ex-friends. Nevermind, my point is moot."

She kissed him, enjoying the light mood of their conversation. They would leave tomorrow for tomorrow… tonight was just about them. For the first time, she was really beginning to understand why their other-world selves had gotten married so early. It felt so right to be alone with him, his arms around her… she wanted that every night.

And not necessarily in a dank cave.

"Hold on." She muttered, picking the book back up off the bed where she left it and reciting the incantation on the pages. Her walls glowed pink, leaving a creepy glow on everything in her room. Kevin looked around warily, reaching out to touch one of the nuclear-pink sections.

"Wow. That's uh…"

Gwen touched his face, bringing his attention back down to her. "Call it mood-lighting and ignore it." She said, pressing herself to him and wrapping her arms around his waist to touch the small of his back.

….

Gwen, Kevin was noticing, could be very pushy when it came to the more intimate details of their relationship- and he liked it. She certainly ran the show, and he was only too happy to say "yes ma'am" and follow along.

He kissed her roughly, backing her up towards the pink illuminated bed, when she suddenly twisted, changing their orientation in the small space. With a light push on his chest he knew what she wanted and sat down on the bed himself, his firecracker girlfriend standing above him. She was chewing her lip in that cute, almost nervous way of hers. She was a contradiction- always in charge but scared to seem too forward.

He reached up, placing his hands on her slim hips and guiding her to sit on his lap, straddling him. Her vantage point was higher, and she leaned down to kiss him, her hands running through his hair with silky caresses. Her lips were soft and slightly sweet. Like vanilla. She must have been wearing chapstick.

Her nightclothing consisted of just a silky shift, the dress bunching up around her waist as she sat in his lap. He ran his hands up from her hips and over her sides, rubbing the fabric against her skin as he moved it further up.

Gwen leaned against his chest, pushing back on his shoulders, and he raised an eyebrow as he laid back onto the bed, Gwen falling forward with him. She trailed her lips along his jawline slowly, working her way to his neck, and he took the time to quickly kick off his shoes and scoot further onto the bed.

She moved with him, not letting it stop her from continuing to kiss along his neck. She nipped a bit every once in a while, lightly, licking the spot afterwards. Kevin returned to his task of raising her shift, the pink shiny fabric slipping up past her hips, her tiny waist, her perky breasts…

In the soft pink glow of the room she seemed almost ethereal, her dress coming away and allowing her pale bare skin to catch the light.

Oh, what was it about being with her than made him feel so freaking poetic? Why did he want to tell her he loved her again, even after his original macho statement that he didn't like saying it out loud? He couldn't believe how much she really meant to him- how much moments like these meant.

He wanted to make her happy. And right now, he wanted to make her moan.

He reached down, his hand inching underneath her panties. He slid his fingers along her folds, slick with need. He could feel his own erection grow to it's full girth at that, his pants becoming uncomfortably tight.

She hummed against his throat, encouraging his stroking motions. She reached under his shirt, with his help quickly removing it and throwing it to the floor. She continued to taste him, her small tongue licking at his skin and moving lower until Kevin could no longer reach to continue his own administrations.

Her hands made quick work of his belt buckle, undoing his pants underneath a moment later, releasing his throbbing erection to the open air. Kevin groaned at how good it felt to be free of the harsh fabric of his jeans, letting his head drop down into the pillow.

And then his head very nearly exploded as sparks of pleasure shot through him. He snapped his head back to look down and was met with a sight that almost undid him: Gwen, her soft pink tongue out, licking up his shaft with her eyes half-lidded and her cheeks bright red.

He must have made some kind of noise, because her eyes drifted up to his own, wide as though she were caught doing something wrong. She was so damn cute…

He tangled his fingers in her hair, guiding her back down without even realizing it, and she quickly got the hint. Breaking her gaze at him, she slowly wrapped her soft pink lips around the tip, her tongue moving in slow experimental circles.

Oh, he was very worried now that he wouldn't last long.

"Gwen…" he muttered huskily, gasping to the point of nearly crying when she lowered her head, taking more of him into her mouth. "_Ah!_ I don't think…"

She moved up, her slick mouth sliding over him like silk. One of her delicate hands was wrapped around the bottom of his shaft, and she moved it slightly.

And back down.

His hands were still wrapped in her hair, and he found himself helping her establish a pace, pushing and pulling on her lightly. He watched her closely, mesmerized as she continued her attentions. She swirled her tongue again, moving down to take in as much of him as she could, and it was more than he could take.

"_Gwen_!" He said, trying to warn her, but he was too late. He came, hard, her name on his lips. The pleasure was white and blinding, and by the time his brain switched back on he realized Gwen wasn't on the bed. "Gwen?" He asked softly, looking around.

"I'm fine." She said, a box of tissues in one hand and her face that same continuous beat-red. She crawled back into the bed, moving up next to him as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Uh… sorry…"

Gwen shook her head, laying her head on his rising chest. "You did try to warn me." She muttered, laughing lightly.

Kevin frowned. "_Hey_! Just what do you think you're doing?"

Gwen looked up at him, confused. "Um… snuggling?"

Kevin's face split into a wicked grin. "You really think I'm done with you already?"

…..

Before Gwen could answer Kevin moved, rolling them over so he was on top and she was left looking breathlessly up at him. Gwen was honestly a little confused- was he ready to do it _again?_ She had been under the impression that that took... well… a little more time.

"Fair's fair…" Kevin muttered, his mouth moving over her breast. He swirled his tongue around the nub, making Gwen sigh. "It's your turn." He said, licking her other nipple quickly as he looked up to meet her eyes.

Oh… OH! That's what he meant?

"I… uh… I'm not sure…" For some reason she was back to feeling self-conscious. She just hadn't been expecting him to go there. At least not so quickly… then again, she really hadn't expected that courage from herself, either.

And at the same time, her heart beat fast with excitement as he kissed his way down further and further, his big hands moving over her body, worshipping and caressing her skin as he tasted his way lower.

And then, all at once, he was there. His tongue moved swiftly over the small nub that held so much pleasure, and she couldn't stop her hips from bucking slightly and a loud "_OH…_" from escaping her lips.

She didn't realize what a strong muscle the tongue could be. As Kevin licked and sucked and explored, Gwen couldn't help but make noises, low moans and loud cries. "Ah! Yes! Oh… oh… don't… don't stop…" His hands looped under her legs and back up to hold her hips, keeping her squirming down to a minimum as he worked. His tongue swirled and Gwen found herself digging her hands in his hair, making their positions now completely reversed. It was too much. Too much, and the pressure was building, and she wanted more and then she wanted less and then she wanted, and wanted, and wanted…

"Please!" She cried out nonsensically, pushing at Kevin's head, her fingers in his tangled black locks. She could feel tears in her eyes, as if the beautiful warm pressure building up was pushing them out. There was no room for anything else inside her- the hungry feeling was filling her up.

His teeth brushed her lightly, his tongue taking one long lap up her sensitive flesh. His eyes moved up, meeting her own though the strands of hair that had slipped into his face. His eyes were molten, and it was clear he was only too happy to make her feel this way. His ebony eyes… it was like he could read her soul, as he watched her squirm and pant and beg for more.

And then the damn burst, and the heat enveloped her in one swift motion. It struck her silent, and only a soft sign escaped as her body went stiff with pleasure and then very, very loose with satisfaction.

Her eyes were shut, her head pressed into the pillow, as she felt the shift on the bed that was Kevin moving up next to her. She cracked her eyes open, looking at the amazing, amazing, incredibly amazing boy by her side. He moved an arm across his mouth, wiping as his eyes studied her face. "Well?" He asked.

"Hmm?" She managed, her bliss keeping her still and quiet.

"How was your turn?"

"Like you couldn't tell?" She murmured, and she leaned into his hand as he brought it to her cheek to wipe away the single escapee tear. "Or are you demanding I sing your praises?"

He let out one dry, sleepy laugh, and pulled her back up against him, spooning her. "I should get going soon…"

"No, you shouldn't. Stay with me."

"So, this "pink zone" is gonna last all night, then?"

"It will. Please, stay? I just… tomorrow is going to be a very long day…"

Kevin kissed her neck, gently, his strong arms wrapping holding her tight. The happy post-orgasm fuzziness in her brain, coupled with the warm body enveloping her, made her feel so sleepy, comfortable, and safe… "Yeah. Almost a year in one day. But like I said… I'll be there."


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: OK, are you all ready for some action? Cause things will be a little fast-paced for the next couple chapters. We're almost at the end- and there's still ****Lemon #4**** to look forward to! :3**

Chapter Thirty-Two: The Long Sleep

Gwen lowered herself into the tank of goopy substance. It looked like a huge test tube on its side- various colored wires and strings were floating around in the clear gelatinous filling, and the plumber medical technicians went to work attaching the wires through suction cups- and occasionally needles- to her body. At least she was allowed to wear a swimsuit, or else the whole thing would have been super awkward.

"Ew." Charmcaster said, and Gwen could only readily agree. It _was_ew. They were being preserved in goo, and being poked and prodded in the process. Gwen just couldn't wait until she was out cold and waking up in the future.

"Guh. Gross…" Gwen said, flinching as the technician flipped some switches and a few bubbles oozed up through the goo. She was sitting up, dreading the moment when she would have to lower her head into the stuff.

Gwen thought she heard a muffled laugh from behind the curtain placed around the girls, and she called out, "This is not remotely funny Ben!"

"Sorry." He answered, peeking in through the curtain. "You just both sound so _girly_."

Kevin peered in behind him, frowning. "So, we can come in now?"

"Sure, no reason you shouldn't see us both half naked and wired up like a circuit board in donut filling." Charmcaster muttered, leaning against the edge of her tube and looking a little green.

The sooner this was over, the better, for both of them.

"So… see you in ten months?" Ben said, rubbing the back of his neck. He paused, suddenly. "Hey… does this mean I'll be older than you?"

Gwen rolled her eyes, smiling. "I think it'll even out- I'm already way more mature than you."

"Can we just hurry this up? When does the "unconscious" part of this joy-fest begin?" Charmcaster called from Gwen's right, holding up one of the wires and wrinkling her nose.

"It will take a few moments for the medication to take affect." One of the technicians answered, pointing a yellow long-fingered hand at some of the clear fluid-filled IV's attached to the girls. "And then you can both be stored for the ten month period. We will wake you at that time, and you should notice no ill effects. The whole process is very efficient and safe."

"I'll be here when you wake up." Kevin said in a low voice, touching her hand resting on the side of her tube even though it was covered in goo.

Her vision was getting a little blurry, and Kevin's face looked like a smear of color as she looked up. She mumbled, "Thanks…" but wasn't sure if he heard her.

She didn't even feel herself fall back into the goo, but the last thing she noticed was the boy's worried faces peering down at her before everything went black.

…..

She sat up with a loud, gasping breath, clutching the edges of her tube with grasping hands as she went into a coughing fit. She wiped at her eyes quickly, feeling her senses slowly coming back to her.

First, she noticed that Kevin _wasn't _there.

Second, as her hearing came back in full force, she noticed the screaming sirens of the alarm system that matched the slow flashing of the red lights filling the room.

"HEY!" Charmcaster was screaming. She was sitting in the same position as Gwen, hands pressed to her slimy ears as goo dripped off her elbows. "WHAT IS HAPPENING!?"

"I DON"T KNOW!" Gwen yelled over the alarms, eyes grazing across the room. There was a curious lack of staff in the medical lab- no technicians, just an automated system with a screen that read, "Emergency programmed procedure- stasis period voided."

She crawled out of the tube, her slippery hands making it difficult to find purchase on the sides of the tank. She nearly slipped as she stepped down, a pool of gel puddling at her feet.

Charmcaster reached for two lab coats hanging up by the wall and tossed one to Gwen. "WELL, LET'S SUIT UP AND FIND OUT."

Gwen shrugged into the coat, shivering. The gel was kinda cold, and she had no idea where her clothes were. She took a tentative step towards the door, leaving a slimy trail behind her. Then, suddenly, she had a thought. She ran to the computer with their unfriendly welcome message, and started typing.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Charmcaster asked, wiping goo out of her eyes hurriedly.

"FINDING ANSWERS WITHOUT RUNNING OUTSIDE LIKE I'M SUICIDAL!" Gwen called back over her shoulder.

With a few taps, Gwen accessed the security cameras located around the plumbers academy. Younger recruits seemed to be moving in orderly lines, while older, more experienced students and staff were mobilizing for… something… Gwen couldn't quite find the problem, but it was clear the academy was under attack.

"WHAT THE HELL…" Charmcaster began, but then Gwen found what she was looking for. She pointed at the screen, and Charmcaster just nodded. Ben was running through the halls, heading their way at top speed.

No sooner had the girls made this discovery than the whole building started to shake as if in an Earthquake… in space. The alarm cut off sharply, and so did all of the computer screens. The sudden silence and stillness was unnerving, and left a very eerie atmosphere.

"Uh… now what?" Charmcaster asked, whispering for some reason in the quiet room.

"Now, we go meet Ben halfway." Gwen said, standing up. "If he's running towards _us_ instead of the baddie, the situation must be serious. I'm guessing we're needed in a hurry…"

"Or maybe the "baddie" is heading here." Charmcaster muttered, looking around the room as if she expected some monster to materialize from thin air.

"Good point." And with that, the girls made a break for it, heading in the direction that Ben had been coming from. Hopefully they would run into him, and he could explain what was happening.

….

"Ben!" Gwen called, running towards the familiar boy. He stopped, his own run slowing into a jog… his eyes… something about them seemed different, and as this thought occurred several things happened at once.

Ben raised a plumber standard-issue laser gun, aiming it squarely at her chest.

Gwen, realizing just in time what was happening, flung herself to the side.

And Ben… _another Ben,_ came barreling around the corner as Fourarms, knocking Ben and the laser to the ground. The gun misfired, leaving a sizzling hole in the ceiling.

"_Get off me_!" gun-Ben yelled, frantically reaching for his own omnitrix.

"No way!" Fourarms-Ben yelled, holding the other boy's arms behind his back before he could transform.

"What… what the hell is going on here?" Gwen asked. The first Ben glared up at her, his eyes full of stinging anger.

"You have the wrong Gwen!" rescuer-Ben was telling him.

"Does it matter? Maybe I was trying to do you a favor!" Ben snarled, struggling still to free his arms.

Gwen stared, open-mouthed. It a sudden burst of clarity, she knew exactly who the other-Ben was. "It's you…" She managed. The Ben from the world where she was evil. Super, super evil. But how…?

"It's who?" Charmcaster asked, standing close to Gwen and glaring down at the thin-framed boy on the floor.

"It's Ben. Another world's Ben." Gwen looked up at her cousin. "But how?"

"We can explain that later, but right now we have to get out of here." Ben said in his deep Fourarms voice. "She's just set this place to self-destruct. Everyone's started evacuating."

"Who?" Gwen asked, aware that all she could do was ask "who what when where why" questions at the moment. She was feeling massively confused.

"Look," Ben said to his double under him, "If I let you up can you behave yourself? None of us has much time."

"Whatever." Ben muttered. "I suppose we should deal with the _current_ problem… first."

Gwen knew now why he wanted to kill her. She saw the hate in his eyes, the same hate he had when he had thought she was the evil-Gwen… it didn't matter to this Ben _what_ kind of Gwen she was- he thought that, in time, she would come to have something dark inside her, too.

It would probably help if she could find out exactly _why _their Gwen had went bad, but first escaping with their lives seemed like a pretty solid plan.

…

The ship dock was pretty much empty. People were evacuating, just like Ben had said. "Why doesn't anyone just disable the self-destruct?" Gwen asked.

"Why does this place even HAVE a self-destruct?" Charmcaster pipped up, running alongside Gwen.

"In case of a big bad- like Gwen." Other-Ben said matter-of-factly. "It's not really a "self destruct," but more of a network of precision bombs located throughout the school. The idea is that if they need to blow up a wing to stop a baddie like, say, Vilgax, they can just punch in the code and do it. In our world, this same thing happened. We tried to warn them when we got here… Gwen is not only a powerful witch, but a master hacker. She's an army in her own right."

"So, why give us time to escape?" Charmcaster asked.

"What?"

"Well, if she's a master hacker, she could have just blown the place up, right?"

"Right…"

"So, what does she want?"

As they rounded the corner and saw Ship, Gwen had a feeling they would get their answers.

_She_ was there, waiting for them, perched on the nose of the ship delicately, her ankled crossed and her hands resting on her fists. She waved, her mouth splitting into a toothy grin. Her black outfit and spiky crown were the same as before, confirming that this was, in fact, the _same_ evil-Gwen.

"Well, hello there! I was wondering how long it would take you." She said sweetly, waving down at them. Ben stopped cold, putting out one arm to stop everyone else behind him. "Where are the others?" He yelled, and Gwen's blood ran cold.

Others? It wasn't just the Bens?

Of course not. If Ship was here, then Julie probably was. And Kevin…

Evil-Gwen's sharp-toothed smile was bone chilling. It was disconcerting to see her own face with such a cruel smirk. "It seems like I'll be collecting a pair of each. I think my favorite will be the pair of omnitrixes. Care to take those little things off and slide them this way?"

"Not on your life." Ben said, and the other-Ben nodded in agreement.

"Not on _my_ life, of course." She nodded, solemnly, a hand to her chest. "However, the blast from this academy vaporizing wouldn't kill me. I'm too powerful… I'll just be safe in my own little bubble." She sighed, standing up on the nose of Ship. "Give me the Omnitrixes- both of them- and I'll let your friends go free. No one has to die here… today."

"How do we know they're even alive?" Charmcaster said, smoothly. If she was worried, she didn't look it. She exuded confidence, her weight on one leg and her hand on her hips. "I mean, that's just basic. Can't ransom the dead."

Gwen stared at her, eyes wide. What a horrible thought…

The Evil-Gwen rolled her eyes, and floated serenely down to the ground, sanding just a few yards away from them. In between them and the ship. "They're all on board, tucked away nice and safe. All you need to do is…"

"Give you the power to destroy the universe? No thanks." Other-Ben said. "We've played this game before. We don't do hostage situations, and what's more, we're going to use this power to kick your ass!" His hand was poised over his omnitrix. Quick as lightning, Charmcaster grabbed his wrist, leaning close to whisper something in his ear. He growled in response, shaking her off. But he didn't press it… didn't transform.

Gwen shot Charmcaster a questioning look, which went ignored.

"As I said, proof of life or nothing."

"I'm sorry, but who the hell are you? I'm dealing with Ben Tennyson, not some little extra witch-power."

Charmcaster sniffed, looking nonplussed. "Exactly my point- you don't know who I am. In this world, I call the shots. Ben- at least, this world's Ben- doesn't give you shit until I approve."

Ben stifled a whiney noise of protest, which made him sound like a strangling dog. He coughed, trying to cover it up.

"Interesting…" Evil-Gwen said, eyes shifting from Charmcaster to Ben, and then back to Gwen. "Well, then I guess I should have _you_ as a hostage, instead." Without any more warning than that, Evil-Gwen whipped out a wicked tendril of pink energy, snapping around Charmcaster like a pulled her off her feet, and Gwen made a desperate grab for the silver-haired witch's hand.

No luck. She gripped only air, and suddenly, Charmcaster was hanging, upside down, beside the ship. The Evil-Gwen, without hesitation, began chanting the words to some spell.

A visible rip appeared in the air between them, a screaming void that sucked in wind like a cyclone. Beyond the void they could see nothing but darkness, but bone-chilling screams echoed through the chasm, howls of beasts and howls of pain.

"This," Evil-Gwen called over the sound of the vortex, "is Lyperia. I discovered it in my search to retrace my steps back to this world. It's a good deal more hellish than any world I've come across- I don't think a fragile fleshy human would last too long without the marrow being sucked from her bones…"

"So," Charmcaster called just loud enough to be heard over the wind but not loud enough to sound panicked, "this is where you threw them, then?"

Evil-Gwen roared with frustration, throwing a hand out towards the ship. Tendrils of energy- so many they were hard to track with the eye- poured from her hand, filling the ship and dragging out four- yes, _four_- limp bodies. "See? They're alive! Are you happy now? Now I WILL have the omnitrixes or I WILL throw the lot of you into Lyperia and close the rift!"

Charmcaster's head snapped towards the other-Ben. "NOW!." She yelled, desperation filling her voice and betraying her earlier calmness for the charade that it was.

Other-Ben smacked his omnitrix, transforming into Big Chill. Ben, getting the hint, ran forward to attack. His BigArms was smacked quickly away by a tendril of Mana, and Gwen hurried to create a pink cushion to catch this flung body. He groaned, getting back on his feet, unharmed.

In the meantime, Charmcaster had some mischief of her own in mind. She had her eyes closed, concentrating, her mouth working a spell. Evil-Gwen didn't even notice- she was too preoccupied trying to keep Big Chill far enough away that he couldn't freeze her again.

Gwen ran forward, throwing a ball of Mana at the villain. It was quickly blocked, but Evil-Gwen had her hands full now. She had to concentrate on the Mana holding her captives, the attack by Ben, Ben, and Gwen, the chanting Charmcaster at her side, and the screaming vortex that seemed to be getting just a little bit bigger…

Then, suddenly, Charmcaster stopped, smirking.

Ship began to move, making a high-pitched scream that vibrated throughout the ship yard. It started to bend and glide, creating a wave out of it's body that slowly curved over the sharp-toothed witch. She screamed- a sound of incredible anger rather than fear- and finally had no choice but to drop her hostages and create a bubble around herself.

Gwen shot into action immediately, running over to her unconscious friends. There was Kevin, and Julie! And… Kevin… and… Julie….

There was a lot that had to be explained to her, but for now, escape was the only thing on her mind. Ship couldn't possibly hold the girl for long. Her Mana had been off the charts, a level Gwen had only even sensed from full Anodites. She was certain they had no chance in a fair fight, so retreat was in their best interests.

Using her own power, she lifted the group off the ground. Ben grabbed Charmcaster, who looked a few shades paler and couldn't seem to stand up.

And they ran.

"Where are we going?" Gwen huffed, struggling to keep up with the boys and continue carrying four people with her power. She was getting out of shape… maybe sitting in goo for who-knows-how-long had made her lose some endurance?

"We have to take one of the remaining ships!" Other-Ben called. Ben nodded his agreement, and the three of them headed for the nearest one- a small but sleek-looking battle cruiser with the Plumber's insignia. Given the situation, and the lack of people remaining at the academy, Gwen didn't think they would miss one ship.

She did feel a pang for Ship as they left, watching as the academy exploded into small bits of floating debris from the window of the crowded little cruiser. There was nothing they could do… but they were going to have a hell of a time telling that to Julie when she woke up.


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: This chapter includes a rather lengthy explanation of the "Evil-Gwen World." If you find it boring, I'm sorry…I found it very fun to **_**write,**_** though. . **

**If you ever find yourself confused about who's talking… just know that I will ALWAYS refer to them as "Other-Ben" and "Ben." I try to make the distinction between the twins obvious, but it's a little difficult when they're in the same universe, talking to each other. Let me know if anything is **_**too**_** confusing!**

Chapter Thirty-Three: On the Run

"We shouldn't stay here- it's the first place she'll look." Other-Ben said, taking a seat on the couch in Gwen's living room.

"We called Grandpa Max- he's on his way. We had to stop somewhere; Charm and I didn't feel like running around in robes much longer. Besides, we can't all fit in Kevin's car, and taking that spaceship around town …" Gwen began.

"Which is still parked very obviously in your backyard…"

"…would be obvious. Yes, I know. We need to hurry. We'll all shove into the Rust Bucket and head somewhere safe where we can come up with a plan."

"Plan…" Other-Ben huffed, rolling his eyes and looking grumpily down at his lap.

Ben gave Gwen an exasperated look. "How can someone as great as me be so… annoying?"

"You're asking _me_!?" Gwen asked. "I think _my_ double is a tad bit worse." She sighed, sitting in the chair across from other-Ben. "Look, can you just fill me in real quick? How did you guys even get here? How did _she_ get here?"

Other-Ben sighed, suddenly dropping his head into his hands and rubbing his face. He looked exhausted. "She was up to something- we could tell that much. She was collecting Mana for something big- she even killed off one of her conquered worlds, sacrificing it's lives to build up her collection. We'd tried to attack her before, of course… when we had more men than now. But we were desperate- there was no telling what she would do with that much power. We staged a front on her fortress with what remained of the plumbers, expecting to have a real fight on our hands. Instead, Kevin, Julie, and I found she had just slipped through a strange crack. It was just… hanging there, barely visible. It was pink, I think. I don't know what we were thinking, but we all jumped right in after her, no questions asked. We followed her here, to your world."

"She saved up enough energy to _open a rift_ at will into another Universe….?"

"And assumedly enough to go back home." Other-Ben finished, nodding.

"So, she's bringing the battle to our world, then." Ben said, grinning."

"Why are you smiling!?" Gwen asked, hoping her annoyance was clear.

"Because, in case you haven't noticed, I'm pretty good at taking on the bad guys. With two of me… well, it just might be an easy fight."

Other-Ben laughed derisively. "I used to think like that, too. You saw her back there. She's too powerful. We got very, very lucky."

"Yeah, lucky Charmcaster was smart enough to find where our friends were and free Ship at the same time." Gwen muttered, looking over at the girl. They had no choice but to lay their friends on the living room floor while they waited for Grandpa Max. Charmcaster was with them, so tired she dropped to sleep on the carpet the moment they got home. Gwen wondered when the other four would wake up… there didn't seem to be a residual spell on them that she could remove. They just had to wake up on their own.

"She destroyed _everything_, in our world." Other-Ben whispered, continuing to look carefully at his hands folded in his lap. "At first, it was like she was power hungry… but soon enough she began to just kill indiscriminately. Sometimes for Mana, sometimes just for the hell of it."

"But… but how?" Gwen asked, a small measure of anguish in the word. How could she hurt people, innocent people? How could she hurt her friends… Julie…

Unlike the two unconscious Kevin's, it was very easy to tell the different between the Julie's on the floor. Other than half of her face being gone, other-Julie just seemed… harder. Her mouth was turned down in a frown, even in her sleep. Her brow was drawn, as if she were having a nightmare. Gwen had a feeling that look never went away, though…

Other-Ben sighed. "I don't feel like talking about this right now. Just… ask Kevin when he wakes up. He's closer to the story, anyways. I was just there for the more climatic end result…" His eyes flicked to Julie, and they softened. "I didn't want her to be there. But she was…"

There was a groan from the floor, and Charmcaster haltingly sat up, a hand to her head. "Oh, it's so hard to sleep with your yapping…" She muttered. "My head is killing me… it took way more Mana than I thought to free that stupid dog-ship."

"That dog-ship gave its life to save us." Gwen said quietly.

"Yeah, well… it was all I could think of. Plus, I had to make sure the others _were _on the ship before we tried anything. She could have stored them anywhere, and with the academy about to go "boom."" She shrugged. "At least I don't owe this loser my life anymore." She said happily, kicking Kevin's shoulder lightly from her position on the floor.

"You did good Charm." Gwen managed. "And you don't owe anyone anything."

Just then, there was a screech of tires and a sharp honk from the front yard. Grandpa Max had arrived.

"Time to haul ass." Charmcaster said, gratefully accepting help from Gwen to stand up.

…..

The back road was bumpy. They had made many twists and turns through the dense forest, their grandfather driving with purpose towards his destination. At this point, even Gwen was lost. "Grandpa Max, where, exactly, are we headed?"

"Don't worry- I have this covered. Your old Grandpa still has some tricks up his sleeve."

"This is pointless. She can find us wherever we hide! In my world, our base is a ship with cloaking abilities… even stifles Mana outputs. Where will you find someplace like that?" Other-Ben complained.

"You know, you are still Ben, and I'm still your grandfather. You should watch your disbelieving tone. I know what I'm doing."

"Uh… did we mention she blew up the Plumbers Academy?" Ben added.

Grandpa Max nodded, looking grim. "I heard. The plumbers are not happy, but miraculously no one was killed in the explosion. They hope that this monster-Gwen was killed, though"

"She wasn't." Other-Ben said with the confidence born of experience.

….

It was nearly nightfall when they finally pulled into their destination. Yes, _Into_

It was a large cavern, with stalactites the size of people hanging from the high ceiling. They could hear water dripping slowly into shallow pools somewhere in the distance.

"This cavern saved my butt a few times back in the old days." Grandpa Max was saying, his voice echoing back through the hollow space. "The rock composition has magnetic properties- it's much more difficult to detect anything in here with many known alien technologies. In addition…" He pointed upward. "There's a nice big lake above us, with trees and plenty of wildlife. Should make our Mana a bit weak to track, wouldn't you say?"

Gwen nodded. It was the best place they could have hoped for, given the circumstances. She set about doing a few spells around camp, though, to help shield their Mana further.

"Now, let's see what we can do about waking up those sets of twins in the RV." Grandpa Max added.

…

Kevin coughed, sputtering out the water that had been unceremoniously dumped in his face.

"Charmcaster!" Gwen admonished.

"Well, that ipad or whatever Max was using wasn't doing anything, so I took matters into my own hands."

"So you threw cave-water in their faces!?"

"They're _awake_, aren't they!?"

Kevin ran a hand through his wet hair, brushing it out of his face. They were indeed in a… cave. Why? What was the last thing he remembered?

Ben, explaining that he was faster and that with two of him, they could save the girls in no time. That the rest of them had to guard the ship… grumpy other-world-Ben was very specific about making sure they had a quick get-away…

Kevin was just about to go after them, deciding that waiting was stupid, when _she_ showed up…

And that's all he could recall.

"Where are we?" he _heard_ himself say… but _he_ didn't say it.

Kevin was certain he would never get used to _that._

The other-Kevin looked exactly like him, to the point where it was just creepy. Perhaps, if you looked closely, you could tell he was a little older, but not by enough to count. His personality was a bit quieter, more withdrawn, but just looking at them you couldn't tell them apart.

Kevin looked around the cave, taking in the high ceiling. "Well, _obviously_ we're in a cave…" He looked at Gwen and grinned, finding the situation a little funny. "…again."

She blushed, shaking her head. Under her breath Kevin heard her mutter, "I guess I know which one is our Kevin."

Grandpa Max had the decency to get them all towels to dry off while the Bens, Gwen, and Charmcaster recalled their escape.

"So you see," Charmcaster said, a hand to her chest and a smug expression on her face, "I saved the day. I saved all your asses from certain doom, and should be praised accordingly."

"Well, now that you kids are finished telling your story, how about if I get the grill out and cook us some nice camel's feet." Grandpa Max interrupted, heading inside the Rust Bucket.

"Is that… I don't even… can you even eat those?" Kevin asked, perplexed and seriously hoping the old man was kidding.

"I think we might find out." Ben muttered.

…

The weather was just a little chilly… which made Gwen wonder what the date was. When she asked Grandpa Max, he had some fairly good news for her: September 1st. It was getting colder at night early this year, which had made her wonder if she had only slept for a few days. In fact, the longest year ever was almost finished! Charmcaster and herself just had to wait another week and a half, and they would be safe from random skips.

In light of more recent events, it didn't seem like as big of a deal as it should have.

They decided to risk a small fire in the cave to keep them warm. The group grabbed some logs and dragged them in from the forest to sit on. They couldn't all sleep in the RV- there was only room for two small bunk beds and the couch. Some of them would have to camp outside, and the warm fire was welcome.

It was also perfect for telling stories. And there was one story Gwen wanted to hear.

She was sitting next to Kevin- her Kevin- across from the group of "others." She didn't know what else to call them… they were so like her friends and so unlike them it gave her chills. She cleared her throat, breaking the silence that had followed their disappointing dinner.

"I need to know." She said simply. "I need to know how it's possible that I could become that creature out there. We can't come up with a plan to stop her if we don't have all the details."

The other-Ben frowned, and looked purposefully at other-Kevin. The taller boy sighed, rubbed his eyes, and muttered, "Fine. I guess I'm the only one that can really tell you the whole story, anyways. Just… before I tell you, you need to understand something."

"What?" Ben asked from his place near Gwen. Julie was on the floor of the cave at his legs, roasting a marshmallow from a bag she had managed to dig out of the Rust Bucket.

"There is _nothing _we can do. We can only defeat her. Don't think for a second that she can be saved. Don't let yourselves be fooled by what I have to say. Understand that _she. Is. Gone_."

Gwen gulped. She had a feeling she was in for a hell of a tragic tale.

…..

"About two years ago, Gwen was contracted to do some work for the plumbers…"

"Work? Like… policing?" Ben interrupted.

Other-Kevin gave him a hard look.

Other-Ben sighed. "He usually prefers it if you save all questions until the end of the tour. It's a hard enough story without interruptions."

"Sorry… just curious."

"Anyways… she had written an article and created a proposal for a serious study on alien-human hybrid genomes. The plumbers were interested, and funded her research for the rights to anything of interests she might turn up. Afterall, a lot of the aliens who ended up marrying humans were plumbers themselves. She rented a lab space in Phoenix, using a good deal of alien technology to complete her research, including some of the information stored in the Omnitrix."

"I was only too happy to help." Other-Ben muttered.

"It put the 'hero' thing on hold for her… we still helped Ben out when there was real trouble, but for those months of research our group- that is, Gwen and I- were mostly separate. I went with her to help with whatever she needed… mostly tuning some of her more complicated alien-tech."

"I'm sorry to interrupt…" Gwen started, hesitantly, "but what, exactly was I researching? What about alien-human hybrids?"

Unlike his earlier glower at Ben, he just smiled softly at Gwen. _"You_, at least, don't have to apologize for interrupting. This story _is_ sorta about you… in a way. Gwen was trying to map what species were furthest genetically from humans, and which were incredibly similar. In other words…" he leaned closer to them all, "Why is it that some aliens have to shift to a perfect DNA compatible form to have children with humans, and why do some types just remain themselves? What do you notice about Osmosians? I mean, I'm half and I think I look pretty human, right?"

"Yes. It's true that a lot of life in the galaxy follows a particular pattern." Gwen nodded. She had always wondered about that… "How could species that evolved separately interbreed?"

"That's exactly what _she_ wondered. She wasn't the first in the galaxy to raise the question, but the only other being to research a large enough sample of genetics to answer it isn't the type to share his research often."

"Let me guess- you mean Azmuth." Ben said, and other-Kevin nodded.

"Anyways, Gwen's hunch was that beings with a humanoid form- especially those who had bred with humans in the past- all shared a common ancestor. And unlike other researchers, Gwen had access to data in the Omnitrix."

"Sounds like I know more about my Omnitrix in your world…" Ben said, interrupting again.

"I'm pretty sure we're a few years older." Other-Ben said. "How old are you? Sixteen? Yeah, almost three years ahead of you."

"I don't see why this leads to Gwen sharpening her teeth." Kevin said, bringing them back on track.

"Uh… right…" Other-Kevin said. "So weird, talking to myself… anyways, Gwen never found what she was looking for. The government contacted her a few months into her research- _the US government_- asking for help with a problem they'd been having. We were all aware- Ben included- that there were strange things going on around the country. People, it seemed, were randomly losing their minds. Violent crimes were up… way up. People would just suddenly wake up in the middle of the night, go all Hercules and kill their whole family. Crazy shit. But nothing seemed to link it to aliens, so…" he shrugged. "What could _we _do?

But the government had this idea that it was caused by a recent increase in meteorites. Normally, you know, they burn up in the atmosphere… but lately a lot were being found on the ground. Usually close to areas where people would go bat-shit crazy.

We knew we had made a name for ourselves in certain government agencies thanks to our work fighting invasions, so we weren't surprised when Gwen was asked to look into the meteorites. Oh, we were careful. Hazmat suits and the works. I stuck around close in the lab that day- I'm not normally the "lab assistant" type, but I had a bad feeling from the start.

In the end, when the rock arrived in a giant cooler, it looked like a… rock. Gwen took samples from the crusty thing, analyzed them in every way… and found totally normal composites for a meteorite.

Then she started drilling. She wanted to take a piece from inside it without completely ruining the sample, so she drilled a small hole down to the middle…. that triggered it."

"Triggered the… rock?" Gwen asked.

"I'm guessing, somehow, that this story isn't really about a rock." Ben answered with a touch of sarcasm.

Other-Kevin was a little too lost in his story to even lose momentum at the interruption. "Something just sprang out of the porous surface- like very thin quills. The rock was some kind of damn porcupine from space. It managed to miss me, but Gwen was bent over it at the time.

One of those quills plowed through her hazmat suit and buried itself right in her heart."

"What did you do?" Gwen asked when it seemed like he was taking just a little too long of a pause.

He shook his head. "I panicked. From what I knew of first-aid, pulling it out would be very bad. There was enough blood, and that would have just made more. So I didn't pull it out, but instead I brought her to a hospital.

_I didn't pull the fucking thing out._

When we got to the hospital she was fine. I mean… not a scratch on her. It healed completely. And the quill? It was gone too. I made damn sure it didn't just fall out… like I said, I have some first aid training. I bandaged it in place with some tape before we left.

So… we now had some idea of what was happening to people. This thing infected people with it's quills…"

"Kevin." Other-Ben said, not looking up, his voice flat. "If you don't tell them the whole story, they won't know why you stuck around so long, why you didn't suspect anything was wrong earlier. If you're going to tell the story, you have to tell it all."

"I was getting to it." Other-Kevin growled, also avoiding eye contact with the younger boy. "She, ah… she was fine… but the baby…"

He said it so soft she almost didn't catch it. "The… the what?"

He looked up then, meeting her eyes. "Well… let's just say we had gotten ourselves into a little bit of trouble. But we weren't like other young adults, struggling to find jobs or still in college. Money wasn't really a worry, and we thought that with our powers we could protect him from even the worst alien problems… anyways, it didn't matter. The quill had some kind of poison on it that terminated the pregnancy."

His tone took on a calm, distant quality, like he was talking about someone else's life instead of his own.

"I refused to believe that the quill would cause her to act like so many other violent humans we suspected had been infected. For the next month, she seemed fine, mentally… she was upset of course. We both were. When I try to think back, to wonder if there were signs that the poison was affecting the way she thought early on... well, it's hard to separate actions that come from grief from those with an outside influence. I wrote off any strange behavior as being her way of healing. She was really torn up about losing the baby- she was five months in when it happened, afterall." He rubbed at his forehead, sighing. "We had picked out some names…"

Gwen felt something clench in her chest. She wanted to hug him, this poor man with so much pain… but she didn't think that would be a good idea. He wasn't her Kevin, she reminded herself. And she didn't want him to think of her as being the same person he lost. She should distance herself, and think of this as a story about two very different people, not about her and Kevin…

But he was sitting right there, and it was hard not to feel personally invested.

"What happened next?" She whispered, breaking the silencing and encouraging him to continue.

"Gwen got worse… she gave up researching the meteorite, which should have been my first clue. We had a girl named Anna who would stop by twice a week to help with cleaning up the lab- an intern trying to get college credits. One day she bumped one of the tables and dumped a controller to the floor. It wasn't important- it broke, but it was easily fixed, and there were manual controls for the Sorian Grater but it was way across the room... anyways, Gwen got pissed. More pissed than the situation called for.

She _threw_ Anna across the room, just picked her up. _And. Threw. Her. _It was lucky I was there- Gwen was starting to glow pink when I reached Anna and helped her get out of the room. I think Gwen might have killed her if I hadn't been around. And then another time, a few days later, we went to the hospital for a follow-up exam after her injuries. She attacked a doctor, wrapping him up in Mana and trying to squeeze him. Again, I was able to talk her down, but I didn't know how long that would last. I was still in denial, still thinking she was just stressed and grieving. I told myself that she wouldn't really hurt anyone… so, basically, I was lying to myself.

Finally, after several more incidences- one which was leading to a lawsuit- I called up Ben. I told him we needed to get the plumbers involved in finding out more about these meteorites. I sent the sample his way, telling him to be careful and keep it locked up until the plumbers take it. Ben, by himself, was already run ragged trying to stop every maniac who wandered the street with a gun. This was becoming more and more common, just like the meteorites. The cops couldn't handle it all… some of them were even affected, from visiting crime scenes and finding these rocks, and the quills.

Then it happened. She completely lost control one day, and her Mana just poured out. We were walking down the street, and some small thing was pissing her off… I can't even remember anymore. I think she was talking about her funding getting cut. She hadn't made much progress lately… then, BAM! She just exploded- took out two apartment complexes and a restaurant full of people. For some reason, there was just enough of her left to realize she should put a bubble around _me_. She protected me, but killed all those people, without even a thought…

Afterwards, she freaked out. Gwen _was_ still in there, somewhere, and she was terrified that she could hurt people so easily. She admitted to me that she had _wanted_ to do it- it wasn't an accident. She had wanted to kill people, and that was scaring her.

But it was like dealing with someone with two personalities. One minute she was crying, and I took her home. Then, all of a sudden, she was angry again. She didn't care about the pain she had caused, and when the cops came to arrest her… well, I tried to stand in the way, to protect _them_, but she wouldn't let me. She threw me aside and wrecked havoc again.

I called Ben- I couldn't hope to handle her on my own. It was like she had somehow gotten in touch with all of her Anodite power, but didn't have to sacrifice her body to do it. Ben showed up just as she was calming down with Julie and Ship as backup."

"That's when I got my makeover." Julie said, her voice sharp and clear.

It was the first thing Gwen had heard the girl say all day, and it make her jump. The fire was reflecting off the metal of Julie's face, making her look like the flames were a part of her. Her one flesh-and-blood eye danced with flickering light.

"Yeah." Other-Kevin nodded. "That's when it happened. She erupted, angry that Ben was trying to stop her- she refused to understand that we wanted to _help_. Eventually he had no choice but to try to subdue her, and she fought back hard. She nearly killed Ben, then. She made a sharp slice of Mana- like a jagged piece of broken window glass- and threw it with precision."

"She cut off my face." Other-Julie said. No muttering from her. She spoke so clearly it almost felt defiant against the sad, whispering atmosphere.

"We couldn't stop her back then, because we didn't know what _really_ happened to her." Other-Ben said. " I just… couldn't. I thought she could be saved. We know differently now."

Other-Kevin sighed. "Yeah. Plumbers put some scientists to work on it. It's not like "attack of the body snatchers" or anything like that. It's still her. But the poison of the quill changes the human brain irreversibly. It changes _who_ you are. Gwen _is _that horrible person now. We can't save her, because there's nothing to save." He poked the fire with a stick, trying to keep it going strong. Gwen saw that his knuckles were white against it. "I don't even know the exact moment it happened. It was so gradual… I don't know when she died, but she did.

The person I knew is dead."


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: Thanks to a suggestion from ****SujiBae****, this chapter has an extra scene I wrote in today! I think it was a ****much needed ****scene, so I really appreciate the suggestion! Thanks!**

**Thanks everyone for the nice reviews about the last chapter! I'm glad it didn't come across as crunched or messy. . I'm so happy it gave you all some feels!**

**From now on, only one chapter a day. We are very, very close to the ending, and I wanna clean up the last chapter a little. .**

Chapter Thirty-Four: The Plan

"So she has access to her full Anodite powers, she's bat-shit crazy, and she wants us all dead. Sounds about right." Charmcaster said with a loud obnoxious sigh. "Why did I think hanging out with the "heroes" would be a sane, safe thing to do?"

"Yeah, boy, did you screw up." Ben replied to her with half a grin.

Gwen knew they were trying to be funny to lighten the mood, but she just couldn't join in. She wondered if those meteorites would fall in her own world soon, too? The other dimensions were clearly not predictors of her own future, but they proposed a possibility that could, in fact, occur. Naturally, now that she knew the whole story she would be careful. They would know what the meteorites were, and deal with them accordingly. Probably involving a lot of fire…

"The fact that we know that story," Gwen began carefully, wanting to make it clear that she was grateful and that some good came out of the last half hour," means that it _won't _ever be repeated here. You may have very well saved us all by coming here."

Other-Kevin gave her a grateful look. "Same here, though. When you arrived, she was about to win. She had me, she had Ben, and it wouldn't be long before she would have figured out the Omnitrix. You saved us." He looked at other-Ben as he said that, as if to remind him of an earlier conversation.

"Not worth it if our Gwen destroys your universe, or just finds us and knocks us all off." Other-Ben answered with a huff.

"There's eight of us, and only one of her, now. If we get the plumbers in on this…" Ben started.

"Oh, we tried that." Other-Ben interrupted. "The plumbers aren't helpless, but they didn't do too much better than the human military."

"But…" Ben said, annoyance clear in his tone, "we have something no one in your world had. Two Omnitrixes."

"We need a plan, too."Kevin said. At some point in the story, he had grabbed Gwen's hand and not let go. He gave it a squeeze, now, as if asking her opinion.

"The only thing that stopped us from fighting full out last time was that she had hostages," Ben said confidently. "We just need to find her and take her down! Kevin and I nearly did that last time she was here, anyways."

"We subdued her for all of thirty-seconds, and Gwen just happened to shift back before she broke out of the ice." Kevin contradicted.

"Argh! Whatever; what part of _two Omnitrixes_ don't you people understand!?"

"I think you're all forgetting something." Other-Kevin said. He had been watching so silently since he finished his story, his voice brought all the attention quickly back to him. "She's fought the Omnitrix before. She knows what to suspect. She's fought me before, so she probably has a plan for that. The only thing she has never fought before is the thing she's so scared of she's trying to destroy it. She's not after _us_; at least, we're not priority one. She's after…"

"Me." Gwen finished, understanding instantly.

Evil-Gwen had never fought _herself_ before. She had no way of knowing if this world's Gwen was every bit as powerful as she was.

But she wasn't. Gwen knew she couldn't access the full power of her Anodite form. She had done so on only a couple extremely rare occasions, and it was never on purpose- pain and anger usually were the keys. But once she transformed… she was certain that regaining her human form in the past had been 50% willpower, and 50% dumb luck. She wasn't sure if she could do it again, and she didn't like the mentality her Anodite form gave her.

She knew she would feel all powerful, that she would understand that she _could_ defeat any enemy… but _would_ she? Anodites tend to be flighty and playful, and she found herself undervaluing life when she was transformed. It wasn't something she enjoyed, and she didn't even know if it would help the situation. She might transform and then just fly off to Anodyne, for all she knew…

But if there was a chance…

"I'll do what I can, but I'd like to avoid going full-Anodite. In fact, if she wants to destroy me, she has to know it would unleash my Anodite form… it's probably exactly what she wants. She knows I'll lose perspective." Kevin frowned, adjusting his hand to lace his fingers through her own. It felt nice, reassuring, and she had a moment of understanding that he was her anchor, of sorts. Like by holding her hand, he could keep her tethered tight and thinking clearly, despite any danger they found themselves in.

"What we need," Charmcaster piped up, a finger to her chin in thought, "is a nice, clever, villainous, _trap_."

…..

Kevin came out of the RV with a blanket, smoothing it out over the sleeping figure of Gwen beside the log. Almost everyone had nodded off after discussing the plan, but most of them had thought to grab something to fight the chill in the air beforehand. Gwen, it seemed, was a little preoccupied and had fallen asleep sitting up on the floor against their make-shift seating. When her head had lolled against his leg and her torso had slid down to the cave floor, Kevin had noticed she was shivering.

She muttered nonsensically in her sleep as she shifted, drawing the blanket tighter around herself. Kevin smiled down at her, sitting back on the log near her head. He rested his cheek in his hand, thinking.

Gwen was tough. There was no denying that. When it came down to it, she always had his back, and he had hers. They fought beside each other, each aware of the other's strengths.

But what if it wasn't enough? What if something _did_ happen to one of them, one day?

Gwen was right- there was no way the meteorites would affect them like they did the other world. Now that they had heard the story, they would all be better equipped to handle the situation, should it even arise. But if not the meteorites… what about something else? They put their lives on the line constantly, and while all three of them make jokes and try for normalcy in their daily lives… it was really more of a cover. A cover to make them forget how close they come to death in each mission.

"You seem pretty lost in thought."

The voice made him jump, and he looked up quickly. "That will never _not_ be creepy." Kevin answered. The sound of his own voice breaking his train of thought had, frankly, freaked him out. He forgot other-Kevin was still awake… the guy had been sitting so still. Probably zoning out just like he had been, actually…

"So, Charmcaster's a friend in this world, huh?" other-Kevin said, attempting to make conversation.

Kevin rolled his eyes. He didn't want to have a conversation, and he especially didn't want to talk about Charmcaster. "_Friend_ is a strong word… but, I suppose, if you can have a friend that you find so annoying you'd like to drop them off on a moon somewhere and not come back for a month then, yeah, sure, she's a 'friend.'"

Other-Kevin snorted and laughed, dissolving into a brief chuckle. They even laughed the same. Too weird.

Or maybe the reason their similarities bothered him was because of how tragic the other-Kevin's life had turned out? Maybe he just didn't like what he was seeing… there was something about it that bothered him, something about the helplessness of the situation that just… _pissed him off_.

Looking down at the sleeping figure at his feet, he knew why he was so irrationally annoyed. If it had been him… he would never have given up. Not on Gwen. Never.

"You're angry." Other-Kevin said.

Very astute. "Yeah, maybe… maybe not angry, exactly…"

"It's…" other-Kevin cleared his throat, staring at the flickering remains of their once roaring fire. "It's not a good feeling, knowing that you can't always be in control of the future… that you can't always protect the people you love. But I'm glad, even if it's a completely different world, that there's a place where she's happy, and healthy."

"For now." Kevin muttered. "Like you said, who really knows about the future?" He shook his head, remembering the first world Gwen visited, the one where they had lost what should have been a very standard monster-battle. Both Kevin and Ben had lost their lives… so many chances, just one mistake and it could all be over.

Other-Kevin nodded, grimly. "True. But you can't just focus on the future. You have to live in the present. If I could go back, if I could _be_ there, with her, when we were younger… I think I would appreciate the little things a lot more." Other-Kevin looked at him, his eyes hard. It was disconcerting, staring into his own eyes.

"No matter what, appreciate what you have while you have it."

…

The plan involved three groups. Kevin, Ben, and Charmcaster were arguably the most important of those groups- if they failed, it would all fall apart.

Grandpa Max dropped them off at Kevin's house in the afternoon of the next day so they could get his car. Other-Ben, other-Kevin, and Gwen would be going their own way, taking the Rust Bucket, while Grandpa Max and the two Julies took the borrowed plumber's cruiser (which miraculously had not been found and destroyed by the Evil-Gwen), heading to a local plumber's outpost Max knew about. The two Julie's would be perfect evidence that the story was true, and it had the added benefit of keeping them both out of danger, which the Ben's both liked.

Julie had been crushed to hear about Ship, and while Kevin wasn't clear on the details, he knew that something Ben said to try to comfort her had only made her incredibly pissed with the poor dumb hero. He had never liked Ship, afterall… maybe he had said something less than sympathetic? In any case, she had seemed all-too- happy to accept a part in this mission that put space in between her and her in _eloquent_ boyfriend.

Kevin headed straight for his car, his group in tow. The plan was solid- not easy, but solid. He knew this was what made the most sense… afterall, the other-Ben and other-Kevin hadn't dealt with these things before, and Gwen was needed in _their_ part of the plan. Still… he didn't like being separated from her like this before a big battle. It made him uneasy…

And honestly, how could he be sure the other him wouldn't hit on his girlfriend? It sounded like something he would do.

He ignored that last thought and labeled it "stupid," quickly jumping in the driver's seat of his car. Ben took shotgun, and Charmcaster knocked on his window.

"All seats on this trip will be equally annoying stuck with you two, but unfortunately I'm the navigator and will be taking shotgun." She said as Ben opened the door.

Ben groaned, acquiescing the seat to their witchy navigation system. He mumbled as he took his usual seat behind Kevin, "I'm _always_ in the back seat…"

Kevin just sighed. "Do you have the Vesuvian Box?" he asked.

"No, I dropped it during the ten steps from the Rust Bucket to your car." Ben answered sarcastically. "Give me some credit- I wouldn't be an Earth-saving hero if I was _that_ irresponsible…"

"Ugh! Can any of you go ten minutes without mentioning that you've saved the world!?"

Kevin and Ben both smirked, Kevin meeting the younger boy's eyes in the rearview mirror. "Nope."

…

Gwen drove. Sure, there were protests, and sure, she wasn't the best driver… but Grandpa Max left the Rust Bucket in her hands. This was _her_ world, and in _her_ world, she got to drive.

She resisted the childish urge to stick her tongue out at the two boys.

"So back to the cave for… how long was it?" Other-Ben asked.

"Twelve hours." Other-Kevin confirmed.

Twelve hours, and then they had to make a hell of a lot of noise to attract their uncharacteristically quiet (at least, uncharacteristic as the other-worlders described it) villain out of hiding. They pulled into the cave after driving the hour and a half it took, hoping they had avoided detection.

"Well…" Gwen said, turning around in her seat to look at the two boys. "Anyone up for a game of go-fish?"

…..

Gwen popped another roasted marshmallow in her mouth. She was hungry, but it seemed like the only edible thing in the RV was the bag of sugary goodness she was working her way through.

"There's one thing I was wondering about… you don't have to answer if you don't want to…" She said to other-Kevin, tossing him the bag of marshmallows while she roasted herself another one.

Other-Ben's snores could be heard from all the way inside of the Rust Bucket- Gwen swore she even saw the thing shake a few times.

"Shoot." He answered, reaching into the half-empty bag.

"If it's true that she's completely different, and that she's totally evil, then why did she keep you alive? I'm sorry… I don't want to seem _contrary_ or anything, but do you think maybe she still remembers how she feels about you? How can she be beyond help if she remembers that?"

Kevin's smile was bitter. "Love. You're asking me how she can be evil if she can still love, right? She can't, and she doesn't. She kept me alive and enslaved for just the opposite reason: She _hates_ me, more than anyone else."

"You?" Gwen asked, her voice much quieter than she meant. Even after all she'd heard, she was having a hard time wrapping her mind around it… how could she ever _hate_ Kevin? After all they had been through, all they had shared together… how could she want him to suffer?

"It's my fault. I didn't pull out the quill."

"What? I don't-"

"She's like this because of the quill, but the poison has warped her ability to comprehend reason. She only hates. She kept me around to torture me, to show me what had become of her. She blames me for losing our baby, and…" He suddenly rubbed at his face, looking exhausted. His eyes had dark circles around them, and Gwen guessed that he hadn't slept well the previous night. "You don't want to hear this."

"Hear what? Seriously, you can tell me anything. At this point, I don't think anything could shock me."

He shook his head, as if he didn't believe her. "In her mind, she's still a good person. Her violence is justified. She wants everyone to suffer like she suffered, and she thinks the true source of her suffering is losing her son. So… she thinks it will make everything better if she has another one. But the poison in her body and mind stops that from being possible, and so everything just goes in a circle for her."

"You mean… oh." Gwen managed, suddenly feeling embarrassed and staring wholeheartedly at her now blackened marshmallow. Evil-Crazy-Gwen wanted another child, and she kept Kevin enslaved in her fortress… the implications were extremely obvious. Yikes.

The two were quiet for awhile, listening to Ben's snores as if it were nice distracting music filling the cavern.

"You know, when we defeat her, we're going to have a hell of a time getting you three back home."

Kevin shrugged. "I've never thought past beating her. I've always assumed I'd die trying. She was my mistake in the first place… I would do anything to correct that mistake. I used to dream I could bring her back… now that I know I can't, I don't really care what happens to me. I just want this to be over."

Gwen's eyes grew wide, and she suddenly was filled with an irrational anger at his defeatist attitude. "You can't just give up! It's horrible what happened to her, but you're going to go home, and help everyone rebuild. You're going to be a plumber, too, remember? That's _your_ dream. This is just something that will belong to the past. This plan will work, and no one is going to die!"

"Except her." Kevin said quietly, and in that instant Gwen knew… it was all a _lie_. Everything about him giving up, about knowing there was no way to save her, about not even dreaming of bringing her back… it was a lie. Somewhere, deep inside, he couldn't let her go.

And it was breaking Gwen's heart.

As she stared at the fire, sadness overwhelming her at the misfortune of another world, an idea began to hatch. Slowly at first, she began to see cracks in their plan, little windows of opportunity that she hadn't seen before. All at once, everything became clear, and she knew what she had to do.

…

"You want me to WHAT!?" Charmcaster said from her cell phone. Gwen winced. She didn't so much "say" it as yell-whisper it. How was that even possible?

"Keep your voice down. I don't want anyone else to find out… this might not even work."

"We might not have the opportunity. This is really a "kill or be killed" kinda plan, Gwen."

"You don't know that. Please? What would it hurt to try?"

The other end of the line was quiet for a moment, and Gwen almost thought the girl had hung up. When she spoke, it was very soft. "It's in LedgerDomain, Gwen. I know you don't really understand what that means… but it won't be easy."

Now it was Gwen's turn to be quiet, waiting. This was Charmcaster's decision, now.

"I'll do it."

**A/N: Stick around folks! Some action, then a nice "quiet after the storm" ending chapter ahead! As always, please review! .**


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I don't have a beta-reader- I go over these things myself, again and again. Sometimes things will make perfect sense in my head, but not to other people, so I'm glad no one seems confused! **

**. Remember- there will be one more chapter after this, so stick around! It'll be worth your time, I think, if you like the smexy parts…. And who the hell **_**doesn't**_** like smexy parts?**

Chapter Thirty-Five: Showdown

"You know, I guess I didn't really think through this plan… guess it didn't occur to me that I was the bait." Charmcaster said, annoyed.

"Try to look delicious." Ben called towards Charmcaster, laughing.

"Maybe they think she's too sour?" Kevin added, joining in on the joke.

"Morons." Charmcaster muttered. She took another step forward… there was definitely an invisible tear near here. "Here, wormy wormy worm." She spoke softly, trying not to sound as scared as she felt.

Ben had the strange black box open and ready. It was black like nothing Charmcaster had ever seen before… like it sucked in all the color around it. A black that didn't even reflect the light against it. Like a hole that you could hold…

Whatever. If the old man had told them it would work, Charmcaster trusted him. For whatever reason, he seemed to know what he as talking about.

She heard it, too late, coming from a bush at her heels: the low hissing noise that announced the creature only an instant before it latched itself around her leg.

"AH!" She screamed, and responded in panic, blowing her Almamana Agent curse at the thing. It dropped dead, giving one last twitch on the ground as it disengaged it's horrible little teeth from her leg.

"Great." Kevin muttered, shaking his head.

"You know, you're not encouraged to actually let them _eat _you." Ben said, adding, "And killing them won't help our plan much."

"I'm _aware_, thanks!" Charmcaster growled.

They only had six hours left, and she still had a secret mission of her own to accomplish… time was ticking.

….

BAM!

They saw the explosion in the distance from their vantage point on the cliff's face.

"That's our cue." Other-Ben said, climbing up the small remaining incline to the pit.

It was about fifteen feet across and thirty feet deep. Just sitting on the top of the cliff. Grandpa Max had hinted that it had been created in a battle from long ago, but they didn't have time to get many details.

"Time to make some noise, Gwen." Other-Kevin added, stepping back to the edge of the rocky plateau and out of her way.

Gwen took a deep breath. She was standing close to the pit, her heels against it and her toes pointing east, where the tell-tale explosion had occurred. In the distance, she saw the spiky yellow trails of a spaceship's lasers firing. Grandpa Max had arrived with reinforcements- the plumbers had found the Evil-Gwen, and were drawing her towards their trap.

Gwen looked at her watch. She had to start now, had to get the villain's attention. If the plumbers made it too obvious what they were doing, she would get suspicious…

But if the Evil-Gwen knew where Gwen was, she would come, suspicious or not.

Gwen raised her hands high, shooting a thin line of Mana that was laced with the unmistakable signature of her life force.

"Gwen!" Kevin yelled… not other-Kevin. The boys- _her boys_- had arrived, Ben carrying Kevin up the cliff in Jetray form. Ben dropped him to the ground near the hole, and Kevin threw in the black box that was integral to their trap. "You'll wanna step back!"

Gwen nodded. She knew the plan. The minute those worms were released, nothing would stop them from devouring the closest Mana.

Suddenly, what were once dots in the horizon became clear: A female form, shooting towards them

"Sorry we're late."Ben said, sounding angry as he transformed into Big Chill. "Charmcaster split… just, disappeared."

"We shouldn't have relied on her to help us fight… this isn't about her, afterall. And that's all she's ever cared about." Kevin added, shaking his head.

Gwen didn't answer. Let them think what they wanted.

Evil-Gwen was close enough that the group could make out her features. Other-Ben chose to go with Swampfire for the battle.

Evil-Gwen had lost her tail- the plumbers had backed off, and would be stealthily circling the surrounding area in case anything went wrong.

"YOU!" She called, out, pointing at Gwen.

Gwen created a series of stairs, raising herself off the ground to meet the oncoming attack that was surely to come. Ben flew in close to her, the rest of the group keeping to the ground slightly in front.

"Do you really think you can take me? You think that two omnitrixes will make a difference in this battle!?" Evil Gwen yelled, charging up Mana-ball's the size of trucks and firing them in rapid succession. "Your over-confidence is misplaced! This world is mine, now!"

Gwen ran through the air at brake-neck speeds, nearly falling off her own platforms in her rush to avoid the distant attacks. She needed her to come closer…

So, on a suspended flat pink catwalk, she ran the other way.

Evil-Gwen began to laugh. "You think you can run?" She called, swatting away fire and ice attacks from the Bens as if they were annoying flies. The two Kevins were left on the ground, watching… waiting. Their part in the plan was coming up.

Gwen hoped Charmcaster would hurry up, so other-Kevin wouldn't have to _finish_ this battle.

Suddenly, Evil-Gwen was in the perfect place, and Gwen couldn't stop to worry anymore. She ran up and doubled back, Ben following suit in mid-flight. Other-Ben stood several yards away, suddenly creating a towering wall of fire to make sure Evil-Gwen stayed in position… at least for a few moments.

The sharp-toothed witch had a moment of thought… she floated there, suspended over the hole… Gwen could almost imagine her thought-process as she realized what was going on, and looked down at the pit below her.

Simultaneously, Gwen and Ben hurled blasts of fire and Mana downward, hitting Evil-Gwen straight on and causing her to lose concentration in her flying.

She fell, and Gwen continued her assault, hurling Mana downward so she couldn't regain her momentum and fly up again.

Kevin was ready. He took out the control panel for the black box and hit some buttons.

They could all hear the high-pitched scream from the pit, but only those positioned directly above- Gwen and Ben- had front row seats to the dozens of Almamana Agents springing from the black box, enveloping the villain in tiny Mana-sucking mouths.

Other-Ben ended the wall of fire. Other Kevin peered over the hole, coated in metal and ready. They weren't 100% sure the other-Gwen wouldn't just somehow burst through the worms and attack them again. They just didn't know how powerful she was.

The guess was, however, that "the bigger they are, the harder they fall." The worms would drain her dry of all the energy she had saved up, and it would probably kill her.

And if it didn't, other-Kevin was ready, his arm sharpened to a point. He was set to be on spot in case she sprang up suddenly, but now that some time was passing and everyone was gathering around the hole the point seemed moot.

Gwen was glad. If it came down to having to kill her… she didn't think it was fair the other-Kevin should do it.

She hoped _no one_ would have to.

The worms were engorged to an enormous size- the hole was overflowing, and they all had to take several steps back.

They waited.

At last, Gwen said, "I think I should start disspelling these things…"

Everyone nodded, and using the Almamana Agent curse from Charmcaster's books she started to kill the creatures and pop them out of existence, one by one, careful not to let any of the still hungry ones too close.

Eventually, she started to uncover the fallen witch. She was unconscious- Gwen could see her still breathing, her chest moving the worm wrapped around it up and down. She was covered in small bite marks and bruises… but she was alive.

"Damn…" Other-Kevin mumbled, but Gwen knew it wasn't because she was alive still… it was because he thought he had to kill her. He started to move forward, and Gwen jumped.

"Wait a minute!" She said, coming up next to him and grabbing his arm.

"Why?" Other-Ben asked, his voice rough and unyielding. He was giving Gwen a suspicious look, and some of that old malice was dripping back into his eyes.

"Because we have her captured, because we don't need to kill her, and because she's helpless right now so it feels… wrong." Ben answered, stepping up next to his cousin.

"Her Mana will regenerate, and we'll be right back to square one! We talked about this! We had her trapped before, remember? When this chick stopped by our world?" Other-Ben pointed at Gwen quickly, coming up closer to them all. "She escaped. Easily. She'll escape again and again, and kill more people, and I'm _done_ with it. You don't want to cooperate, then step aside. This isn't your problem- this is ours. She's from our world."

Without waiting for a reply, Other-Ben transformed into diamondhead and jumped down into the pit, kicking aside the remaining worms, full to bursting with Mana. He formed a crystal dagger in one hand and walked swiftly towards the unconscious girl.

Gwen watched, as if she were watching some horrible movie play out. She was torn- she wanted to interfere, but right from the start she had promised herself she would let this happen if her plan failed.

She had no logical alternative to offer the boys from another world, so she could only watch as other-Ben raised the sharp-edged weapon and brought it down with conviction.

SHING!

A wave of pink Mana flew out, knocking the crystal to the ground.

Everyone looked up, confusion etched into every face but Gwen's.

There was Charmcaster, breathing heavily, her clothing torn and a deep cut etched into her forehead. Gripped triumphantly in her fist was a small drawstring satchel, and she held it up as she stood at the opposite edge of the pit. "You best stop what your doing and start thinking about how you could ever, _in a million lifetimes_, repay me for this one!" She met Gwen's eyes, and nodded. "I found it, and if we're lucky it just might work."

"Found what?" Kevin asked, walking towards her.

"What Gwen sent me after, obviously. She doesn't tell you _everything_, you know."

Kevin frowned Gwen's way at that. Gwen could only shrug. How could she have told him? What if Charmcaster couldn't find it? What if it was just a false hope? She couldn't have told anyone.

Other-Ben was clearly not impressed. "What, exactly, is going on?"

Charmcaster jumped into the pit, striding confidently up to other-Ben. "It's very simple. Instead of witnessing a brutal messy murder today, we're all going to witness the amazing miracle that is _me_." She pulled a small square out of the satchel in her hand. "This is a tablet of highly concentrated compressed mold known as "Kylern." It's only found in LedgerDomain." She clucked her tongue in Gwen's direction. "Which is not a fun place to visit these days."

"It's not a cure-all kind of drug." Gwen said, jumping into the pit, the other's quickly following her. "But I remembered reading about it in Charm's books. It's kinda more of a poison, actually…"

"It _is_ a poison, with horrible side effects that are meant to be a curse. But in this one case, it may be the lesser of two evils."

"How do you mean?" Other-Kevin asked slowly, hesitantly. He wasn't willing to believe so quickly in something like this, and Gwen couldn't blame him. He didn't need more disappointment in his life.

She hoped she was right about this.

"Listen- what we've bought you is time. In your world, you need to continue to research the quills. In time, someone will find a way to fix this. There's no such thing as never going back…" Gwen said hurriedly, trying to explain.

"This will buy us time? _Time_!?" Other-Ben asked, suddenly furious. "Do you know how hard this is? Do you know I've had nightmares about this day, about having to kill someone with the face of someone I once cared about!? Do you know how long I've- _we've_- prepared mentally for this inevitable day!? And now you want to give us more _time_? For what? So we can continue to suffer? To have it all go wrong and once again think about how we _could have stopped her!?"_

Other-Kevin dropped his hand heavily onto other-Ben's shoulder. "Hey, we can hear them out, because it's better than looking back and wondering 'could we have saved her?'" he met the younger boys eyes, and they were both silent for a moment. It was like a battle of wills went on inside other-Ben's eyes, and all at once he closed them.

"Fine." He said, his voice still dripping with venom. "What does it do?"

"Kylern has properties that…" Charmcaster began, but Gwen cut her off.

"The first thing the quill did was make her angry, right? It took a long time before she could focus that anger on whatever twisted revenge her mind had made her think she deserved. So the root of her problem is in the lateral orbitofrontal cortex of her brain… er, that is, the poison made her emotionally unstable. This drug has properties that seem to numb the release of chemicals in this area, turning off the area of the brain that offers us rewards and punishments…"

"Uh, right. Or, in English, it makes it harder to feel emotions. Of any kind." Charmcaster said.

"If we're right, it'll snap her out of her delusions because she won't have access to the part of her brain that tells her she's been wronged by everyone and everything. Hopefully she'll remember who she is and be able to make more rational decisions and look back at the past year and a half objectively, without emotion."

"Which, like I said, is a curse." Charmcaster added, unhelpfully. "It won't be fun for her, and it won't be like you have her back, either. It should stop her from being an evil psychopath, but she probably won't really feel bad for the things she's done, either. She won't be able to feel love, or hate, or... anything. This is a poison usually reserved for someone you hate, who you don't want to be happy. However… there is an antidote." Charmcaster handed another satchel to other-Kevin. "Find a cure for the quill, and give her this, and with a little luck…"

"You'll all have a happy ending." Gwen finished. She smiled at Charmcaster.

"Oh, god, please don't ever finish each other's sentences like that again." Ben said, looking a little freaked out.

"Agreed." Kevin added, looking from one girl to the other. He grinned at Gwen, raising his eyebrows. He wasn't angry that she had kept this a secret. Good.

"Well, here goes nothing." Charmcaster said, ignoring them. She put the green cube in the unconscious Gwen's mouth, under her tongue.

All at once the wind changed, and started whipping their hair across their faces. They could see ships overhead, starting to land around the cliff. The plumbers had arrived. Ben pulled himself out of the pit, running to meet Grandpa Max.

"Shall we see if it worked?" Charmcaster asked, and other-Kevin and other-Ben stared.

"That quick?" Kevin asked, his face just a couple shades too pale.

Charmcaster nodded. "It only takes a minute. We just need to wake her up. And, uh… probably before those police guys start coming down here. The original plan was to kill her, remember?"

Gwen nodded. The plumbers wouldn't act without their word- afterall, Evil-Gwen hadn't actually _killed_ anyone in their world, so she wasn't as much of a criminal here. Destruction of public property seemed to be the extent of the charges against her. But still, it was better if they find out how the tablet worked before letting other people near the potentially-dangerous girl.

Charmcaster muttered a quick spell of consciousness, and Evil-Gwen's eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Hey, if you could do _that_, why'd you throw water in my face the other day!? There isn't a worse way to wake up!" Kevin asked angrily.

Charmcaster chuckled. "I think you answered your own question."

Evil-Gwen stared up at them, not speaking a word. Her eyes floated over Gwen, other-Ben, and other-Kevin.

"Can you speak?" Gwen asked softly.

"Yes."

"And do you know where you are?"

"Of course. I was trying to kill you… I know this." She blinked at Kevin. "I hated you, but there wasn't a reason why. I hated you so much… but that's not right, is it? Because I loved you." She sat up, slowly, holding her head. "I'm in a lot of pain." She said softly.

"We'll get you patched up." Other-Kevin said. He looked like he was caught somewhere between horrified and smiling. "We'll get you home, and help you figure things out." He reached down for her hand, and she gave it to him without hesitation.

She ran her tongue obviously over her teeth. "I sharpened my _teeth_. I know I was crazy, but can a person _know_ they're crazy? Am I still crazy? I don't feel sick anymore… the hate hurt my stomach."

"Let's save the questions for later." Other-Ben said, his eyes wide. "We'll figure everything out… I… I'm not ok with this. I need to think for a minute." He gulped, turning on his heel and crawling out of the pit on the opposite side from Ben.

"I hurt Julie." Other-Gwen added simply. "That wasn't good, I know that… I know that's why he's upset… I'm so confused… why don't I care?"

Other-Kevin just looked down at her, supporting her weak body against his own so she could stand. He wrapped his arm around her, and Gwen thought his eyes looked a little wet. "It's time to go home."

…

They escorted their strange doubles back to the rip Evil-Gwen had created, a truly obvious windy vortex in the basement of a random suburban basement. A young couple lived there, according to the pictures on the wall in the house, but it seemed they were on vacation. Evil-Gwen hadn't even damaged the house at all, which would explain why the local authorities hadn't noticed the giant screaming crack leading to an alternate reality.

When the "other-Team-Ben" stepped through the portal home, "Team Ben" used the rip-closing cannon to close the gap forever… and left for very predictable "we saved the day" smoothies.

It was something very close to a happy ending.


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N:**** So, ****this is the end- thank you all for your views and reviews! Hope you enjoyed reading the story as much as I did writing it!**

**UPDATE 4/28/13: I _am_ writing a sequel. Check my profile for a short summary. I think it'll be very fun, and very different from this story. It'll focus a lot on Habitat... **

**It's called "The Temple of Caristi." I'll only post it when it's done, so I'm guessing a couple more weeks at least.  
**

Chapter Thirty-Six: The End… is Just the Beginning

"Yep. Home in two hours… we still have a couple areas to check." Gwen said into her cell phone. As per her mother's "the boyfriend agreement," this lame patrol night would count as a "date" and she'd have to be home by midnight. Ben was far too busy to come with them- how was it Gwen had already caught up with a year's worth of homework but Ben was still behind?

She hung up, sighing. They were visiting the spots where the whip-tail had appeared- downtown, the cell tower, and finally the construction site. The rips had closed themselves at the end of Anaryme, but it was always better to show caution.

If this were _actually_ a date, they could be doing something way more fun than patrolling. Like, seeing a movie, or having dinner, or…other, uh_, stuff_.

Kevin slowed his car, coming up to the construction site. "Feel anything?"

"Huh?" She asked, jerked out of her daydreaming. "Oh! The rips! No, I mean… definitely not."

Kevin nodded, eyes scanning the nearly-finished factory. "So… home?"

Gwen frowned, thinking. "No, let's go walk around."

"So, you _do_ feel something?"

Some little voice, almost channeling Charmcaster, wanted to make a dirty joke to answer him. "No, I just want to go for a walk." Really, she wasn't ready to go home just yet. Her and Kevin hadn't had a moment alone in… well, for her, about a week and a half. In reality, somewhere around ten months.

Kevin cocked his head to the side, giving her an inquisitive look. "Ok… then let's go for a walk." He parked, and they both got out of the car, grabbing two flashlights before they went.

"Seems clear. No more monsters. Glad this whole thing is finally over." Kevin said, his boots crunching on the gravel.

"It wasn't all bad…" Gwen answered softly, almost under her breath.

"What?"

"This whole thing really makes you think…" She began, her flashlight moving over the construction equipment and nearly-finished factory building. "I mean, because of my interactions with other realities, _our _reality will never be the same. We can avoid the bad stuff… and… well, it's like the observer affect. Observation of an experiment will invariably affect it's outcome. By seeing possibilities- not eventualities, but still extreme possibilities- I'll never take those exact same steps again. Even the good worlds. I won't be able to duplicate the exact same steps, because I'll predict them."

"Oh? But wouldn't seeing the good worlds make you _want _to repeat them?"

She gave Kevin a sideways look. "The only good world I was in that _is_ repeatable is the one where we were, ah, married. And having pre-knowledge of it would make me form an opinion that is different from what an older me might think. Namely, that we were… will… be way too young. Therefore, I've changed my future opinion before my future self has even occurred in this world."

They walked in silence for awhile longer, moving closer to the unfinished building.

"So, you're saying that if I asked you to marry me in a year, you would turn me down?" He asked, his tone even and deadly serious. Gwen nearly tripped on a tool bucket, her eyes wide and staring as her arms flailed comically for balance.

A year? That's right, she was- technically- seventeen now. At least, according to her birth certificate, though her time in stasis would always make her physically ten months younger. And eighteen was when other-world Gwen thought it would be a good idea to up and get married.

"I, uh…" Her mouth worked like a fish, and she couldn't find words.

Kevin's straight face broke into a grin, and he started to laugh. "You take things way too seriously." He said.

She shook her head. Honestly, she had no idea what she would do if he was serious… which meant that her theorizing was flawed; maybe she would say yes…? She loved him, but she had years of college planned, and….

What the hell was she thinking? She really _did_ take things too seriously.

Kevin walked up to a door on the building and pushed on it. It creaked open slowly. "Not locked." He said, and headed inside.

"I said I wanted to go for a walk, not get booked for breaking and entering!" Gwen whispered after him. She had no idea why she whispered- the place was abandoned at night.

"It's not 'breaking' if it's unlocked." Kevin replied, his voice at normal volume.

With an annoyed huff, Gwen followed him inside.

Equipment was already in the process of being set up. There was a conveyer belt and big vats and gears everywhere… some sort of parts factory, maybe?

Kevin started walking up a metal staircase, and Gwen hurried closer. "Hey!" she whispered from the bottom. "Where are you going!?"

"Checking things out." He said, leaning over the railing of the second floor iron walkway and grinning. He disappeared behind a door marked "Floor Manager" and Gwen reluctantly climbed the stairs after him.

She walked in the room, and immediately she felt herself pulled to the side. She gasped, her heart thudding, before she realized it was just Kevin, a mischievous look in his eyes as he pulled her close and trapped her between his body and the wall. Before she could utter a word he dove down, capturing her lips in a rough and needy kiss.

Her pulse was still racing from being grabbed, and for whatever reason that just made her respond with a sudden, uncharacteristic urgency. The night had taken such a quick shift, and she found herself excited by it. She wrapped her fingers around the belt loops on his pants, bringing him flush up against her.

His hand were everywhere, roaming quickly under her shirt and finally just pulling it off and discarding it on the floor. The moment it was gone he reached down, both hands gripping her butt, and lifted her up as if she weighed no more than a bird. She wrapped her legs around him, her hands around his neck to pull him back towards her for another long, deep kiss.

Nothing was slow, nothing was hesitant- they both were very aware of what the other wanted. They both wanted the same thing: to be close.

He carried her away from the wall, breaking the kiss long enough so her could watch where he was going and not trip over anything. Gwen used the opportunity to properly distract him, sucking lightly at the soft skin where his neck met his shoulder. He groaned, and dropped her quickly to the desk that was already placed in the unfinished room. As she sat there, still nipping lightly at his neck, he hurriedly swept the various papers and building plans littering the desk to the floor. The paper flew, some lifting up and making it all the way across the room as it gently glided to the floor, catching Gwen's eye enough that she looked up at Kevin with her eyebrows raised. "Making quite a mess tonight, hmm Kevin?"

He laughed, and leaned down over her until her bare back was pressed against the cool wood of the desk. "Not yet, I haven't."

She felt a thrilled shiver run through her as he punctuated his statement with a quick thrust of his hips, grinding his quickly hardening cock against her through their clothing. Her skirt had hiked up pretty much to the point where it was a belt, and the friction of this movement against just the thin fabric of her tights and panties made her eyes flutter and a soft moan escape her lips.

"Ah… it's been way too long since I heard that sound." Kevin whispered, his mouth to her ear, gently nibbling on it. His words made the warmth in her abdomen flare, and she ground back up against him, wishing she could remove the offending clothing with a word.

Wait a second…

She smirked, aware that Kevin wasn't even concentrating on her face as he reached behind her, attempting to work out the puzzle of her bra. She took the opportunity to unleash a little strategic Mana, and shut her eyes to drown out the tell-tale pink glow.

It wasn't like she had _tried_ to find a spell to be used for… more intimate moments. But when she had been running late for her first day back to class on Monday, Charm had sorta rolled her eyes and drawled out the words to a couple of spells that had her undressed, redressed, and smelling oddly like citrus-melon body wash. The older girl had then proceeded to made a lewd joke about _other situations_ where that kind of spell was fun, but Gwen had swept pasted her and ignored the remark.

Now, however, she felt perfectly justified using the handy-dandy spell to remove what remained of her own clothing and all of Kevin's in one fell swoop. In an instant, the various items were on the floor, neatly folded, and she suspected smelling rather nice. Kevin paused, suddenly noticing the very, _very_ obvious change in their situation, his gaze rising up to meet hers. His blinked. "Well… that's new."

She let out a quick laugh. "Are you complaining?"

"No, ma'am."

"Good." She added under her breath, using his momentary confusion to raise her upper body and swirl her tongue over the soft skin where his neck met his now bare shoulder. She could feel his warm body pressed to her, and she could tell that her little magic show had been a very pleasant surprise by the hardness of him between her thighs.

He wrapped his arm around her back, helping her keep her body up against him. Then, in a sudden, slightly awkward movement, he held her a little tighter and flipped to his back.

She let out a little squeak as the quick motion jarred her, almost throwing her off the desk. It wasn't nearly big enough to be moving around on like that! She flashed Kevin as slightly annoyed look, but the intense, all-to serious gaze she was given back threw her. She could feel the warmth inside transforming into a boil, and her new straddling angle had pushed his erection against her wet folds, nestled so close that with the slightest adjustment she could have him inside her… her blood raced, remembering the friction, the _fullness_ of their first and only other time doing this.

She moved forward, sliding slickly against him, and his head fell back against the desk with a thud and a groan. He was so soft, so smooth, while being so hard at the same time. She liked the feel of him sliding, pressing to the bit of flesh near the front that made her hum with pleasure. She did it again, sliding against him without having him actually enter her- yet. She liked this new vantage point- she could see him clearly, watch the way his face changed and his eyebrows knit each time she slid forward. He had a close-eyed look of concentration, and finally, with a last groan, said, "Gwen…" in a rumbly frustrated voice.

She moved up again, and this time angled herself so that when she crashed down he was plunged inside her, filling her up to the brim. She gasped- it seemed so much…. _deeper_ this way. It hadn't been months for her, like for Kevin. For Gwen, the memories of the cave were very fresh and new, and she was certain that now, being on top, felt different in ways she couldn't really put to words.

She wiggled her hips experimentally, the control over the fullness inside her making it easier to hit that wonderful spot that made her so vocal. She raised herself up, her nails dragging lightly against Kevin's stomach as she moved into a sitting position. She could feel the point where he was just about to slip out of her. She dropped herself back down, shuddering at the fast and sudden pressure at exactly the angle she preferred.

"Mmmmm…" She hummed, staying still for just a second longer than Kevin wanted, his impatience evident by his sudden grip on her hips. He thrust up, the force of his hips making her bounce and the friction inside to build. The pressure was building rapidly, now, and she knew she had to pick up the pace in order to feel that all-consuming release she so desperately wanted.

She continued his thrusts, setting a rapid pace, his big hands moving back to grip her butt. He physically lifted her, taking some of the work off her as she followed his pace, sliding back up and down, up and down… she couldn't touch him and still bounce, so her hands wandered over her own body, sliding over her neck, her breasts… and finally touching herself while Kevin continued to plunge inside her. She bit her lip, her head tilting back and closing her eyes at the double sensations. It was like two separate tensions being pulled, two separate pressures building together as Kevin hit the spot deep inside again and again… as her own fingers rubbed against that magic spot just in front of the slippery, pounding meeting place of their bodies.

"Ah! Ah… oh… keep… mmmm…" She cried, each bounce forcing words and sounds out of her in rapid succession.

She opened her eyes, looking down at the dark-eyed boy below her. His liquid gaze was intense, concentrating on the point where their bodies met. He was breathing hard in small puffs, and she knew it had nothing to do with the _exercise_ of their motions. She was so close… it was obvious he was too.

"More… don't… mmmm… stop." She managed. She wiggled her hips a little, changing the angle slightly in a way her body responded to instantly. That was it, that was the spot… "Harder…" she murmured.

He obeyed, his hips rising to meet her own crashing down with just a little more force, brushing that spot just a little harder, the pressure building just to the breaking point…

"AH! YES!." She cried, her voice echoing throughout the factory. She didn't care how loud she was- the pot was boiling over, her body reaching the end, and with a finally push downward she felt the cascade of pleasure in every nerve, her back arching backwards and her hands grabbing Kevin's hips tightly below her own.

Without preamble, Kevin sat up and all but threw her under him, a small growl-like noise escaping as he took the lead. Gwen wrapped her legs around to the small on his back, helping him plunge deeper as he continued his almost frantic pace on top of her.

Gwen trailed her nails lightly over his back, small sounds still being pushed from her lips. She swore she could almost feel the pressure building again when suddenly Kevin bent down, his mouth pressing tight over hers as he gave one last thrust forward, holding her tight against him and moaning against her lips.

They stayed that way for a minute, Kevin pressing his forehead against hers, both of them catching their breath. He kissed her, lightly, groggily.

"I love you…" Gwen breathed against his lips.

"Love you too… that… that was well worth waiting ten months."

Gwen tugged lightly on his hair, grinning. "Are you sure? Shall we wait another ten months, since apparently it inspires a lot of _enthusiasm_ and spontaneity?"

"Gwen," he said, his voice becoming that low gravelly tone that made her melt, "I think we need to patrol together tomorrow. Maybe the next day, too. How about every day? Everyday alone-patrol-date-time sounds like a plan to me."

She laughed, lightly, and Kevin pulled out and moved next to her, laying on his side on the small desk to make room. "Knowing us, I'm actually surprised some kind of space-cockroach hasn't busted in and interrupted us by now. Let's just be grateful for the time we can find in between life-threatening emergencies and alien-weirdness."

"Oh, don't worry about that." Kevin said, raising her hand to his mouth and kissing her knuckles, one after the other. "I am very, very grateful."

She sighed. She hated to ruin the soft warm glow of satisfaction, and the tender connection she was feeling with Kevin with their playful banter, but it was almost her curfew. And as long as a giant alien cockroach was _not_ threatening the planet, she had to get home soon. She voiced this thought to Kevin, and with a simultaneous sigh the two got up and began to get dressed.

Kevin sniffed his shirt, his nose crinkling. "Is… is that some kind of extremely girly perfume on my clothes?"

"Citrus-melon." Gwen remarked with a smirk, trying not to giggle at Kevin's obvious disgust.

…..

As they walked side by side back to the car, Kevin grabbed her hand, their fingers intertwined. They passed that same toolbox Gwen almost tripped over earlier, and Kevin was reminded of his earlier… "joke."

He wasn't sure what had made him say it, but when Gwen was talking about how that one happy future wouldn't possibly happen… he was struck by how disappointed he was.

However, her flustered reaction to his marriage comment had completely changed his mood. He didn't need words from her- her reaction was definitely not revulsion to the idea... in fact, she seemed to actually be thinking about it rather hard. Like it was, in fact, a possibility. Not that he was about to propose or anything… she was still in high school, afterall. But he was fairly certain the idea didn't seem so terrifying to her as it once had. Marriage, that is. Not that he was some love-sick puppy begging his girlfriend to marry him. Or would be. Or, er….

Maybe _he_ was the one over-thinking things?

He shook his head, trying to clear it. He was in a funny mood, tonight. He pulled on Gwen's hand lightly, stopping her and turning her towards him. "Look," He said, finding it strangely difficult to meet her wide green eyes. "I, uh… just, whatever happens in the future, it's ok. As long as _you're_ in my future, it's all good, you know?"

Her eyes seemed to grow just a little wider at his words, then they crinkled with her smile. He loved the way her eyes looked when she was happy- like slivers of starlight. She stepped closer, her arms reaching around his middle as she stood on her toes and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Yeah, I do know." She answered. She kissed him a little longer, a little deeper, and whispered, "I'll be here."

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**Please review! More reviews=higher chance that I'll write more Gwevin in the future!**


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